Armstrong confession a win for Oprah

The winner in the Lance Armstrong doping saga is Oprah Winfrey, as if there was any doubt.

According to Advertising Age, advertisers are paying $100,000 to the talk show queen's struggling OWN cable channel to buy commercials for its two-part Armstrong interview special that continues Friday.

That's about 40% to 50% higher than they have paid for spots on other OWN interview specials, though still less than what other cable channels charge, the publication says. Then again, nothing is quite like the story of Armstrong, a Greek tragedy if there ever was one. Until recently, he was one of the world's most admired athletes and humanitarians. Now, many people see Armstrong as a liar and a cheat.

Though data on cable ratings and Web traffic was not immediately available, it is safe to say that last night's Armstrong confession was a big hit for Winfrey. It likely surpassed OWN's biggest ratings success to this point, which was Winfrey's interview with Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina, which attracted about 3.5 million viewers.

Like most Americans, I had to look up where to find OWN on my cable network before I could tune in to watch the spectacle. A spokesperson for OWN said the network would release ratings information Friday afternoon. She declined to comment on Advertising Age's story.

• Lance Armstrong could lose millions

The fact that Armstrong chose to spill his guts to Winfrey speaks volumes about the power that she has in popular culture. It also is a break that OWN, which she co-owns with Discovery (DISCA), desperately needs. 

Judging from the Twitter traffic, many people seemed to think Winfrey did a good job handling a tough interview. Maybe it will remind viewers of why they liked Winfrey in the first place and perhaps encourage then to check out OWN's other shows, such as "Ryan and Tatum: The O'Neals."

OWN has struggled to attract viewers ever since Winfrey ended her hugely popular syndicated talk show in 2011. Winfrey laid off 30 staffers last year and canceled Rosie O'Donnell's talk show to cut costs. As of last year, OWN had reportedly cost Discovery Communications more than $300 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. Winfrey has said she underestimated how difficult it would be to start her own network.

About the only downside to landing such a huge interview as Armstrong is Armstrong himself. According to reaction on Twitter and elsewhere, some viewers found him so unlikeable during Thursday night's chat that they may not have the stomach to tune in for the conclusion.

--Jonathan Berr does not own shares of the listed stocks.  Follow him on Twitter @jdberr

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