ITV leads bidding war to air Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview in Britain

Broadcasters in the United Kingdom have been bidding for the rights to air Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's much-anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey, which will be aired in the US on CBS on Sunday, March 7.

According to a report in Variety, ITV is the frontrunner in the intense bidding war, while Comcast-owned Sky News is already "out the running." Other potential contenders are ViacomCBS-backed Channel 5, and Channel 4, which sparked controversy over the holidays after airing a CGI version of Queen Elizabeth II dancing as a part of its programme "Alternative Christmas Message."

BBC, which will be airing a special programme with working British royals on the same day to mark Commonwealth Day, is not participating in the race. Streaming giants Amazon Prime and Netflix are also not making any efforts to get the programme on their platform.

ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group wants the 90-minute tell-all interview to land on a free-to-air broadcaster to ensure a significant profile in the UK.

A spokesperson for ITV declined to comment on reports that it is leading the bidding war. Incidentally, the channel was the one that reportedly alerted Buckingham Palace about the interview after someone from Oprah Winfrey's production team accidentally leaked the news.

The network is expected to be on good terms with the Sussexes as well, as its journalist had famously asked the "Suits" alum if she was "okay," as part of their 2019 documentary "Harry & Meghan: An African Journey." The documentary became talked-about for several other reasons, including Harry's confessions of having differences with his elder brother Prince William.

"We're certainly on different paths at the moment but I will always be there for him and as I know he'll always be there for me. We don't see each other as much as we used to because we're so busy but I love him dearly," the Duke of Sussex had said in the documentary.

Tom Bradby opened up about the interview earlier this year and admitted that he felt "caught" and "uncomfortable" when Harry made the comment about William. Bradby told ITV's "Love Your Weekend" in January: "To some extent, I felt a little bit caught in the middle of them with that documentary, which is a deeply uncomfortable place to be and that is, in a way, why I am always reluctant to say anything more because I don't want to make anything worse or get in between anything or anything like that."

The journalist also said that Harry is "happy" but "heartbroken" over the rift his and Meghan's exit has caused in the royal family, but they are "feeling better" since moving to California.