Why Did Oprah Winfrey 'Beg' On Twitter?
Oprah Winfrey has apologized for urging her fans to tune into her "Oprah's Next Chapter" show via Twitter, insisting that her intentions were good.
"I removed the tweet at the request of Nielsen. I intended no harm and apologize for the reference," Winfrey said in a statement Monday.
Winfrey had been criticized by fans for taking to Twitter in a bid to boost low ratings, and was reportedly in hot water with renowned media company Nielsen who were particularly displeased after being mentioned in her tweets, according to Deadline.com.
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"Every1 who can please turn to OWN especially if u have a Nielsen box," Winfrey tweeted on Sunday.
"Commercial Grammy people..u can turn to OWN," She later added, referring to the 2012 Grammy awards, which coincided with her "Oprah's Next Chapter" show.
Nielsen, which specializes in researching network ratings, has reportedly signed an agreement with Oprah's OWN network which prohibits the network from openly soliciting Nielsen box owners.
TV viewers immediately took to Twitter to respond to what some critics perceived as "desperate" attempts to boost OWN's viewership, which prompted Oprah to respond.
"Desperate times: Oprah Winfrey begs all her Twitter followers with a Nielsen box to tune into OWN," Kyle Harrietha tweeted.
"I love Oprah, but gosh this is a bit sad. And did she really delete that tweet? Oprah Begs on Twitter For OWN Ratings," one Oprah, fan known only as "Denny," tweeted.
Oprah also took to Twitter to respond to the widespread backlash, and appeared to give a defiant explanation for the tweets.
"Unethical a little harsh don't u think? Seemed like it made sense to me. Sorry if u're offended," the former talk show host tweeted.
According to sources, the OWN network has been struggling with ratings for several months with viewership failing to reach the previously anticipated levels.
