The story of octuplet mother Nadya Suleman has birthed strong ratings for 'Dr. Phil' and 'Oprah.'
The Octomom is good for the daytime TV biz.
Nadya Suleman, the Southern California woman who gave birth to octuplets earlier this year, delivered double-digit ratings increases for "Dr. Phil" with her two-part appearance on his yakker, according to the latest syndie ratings from Nielsen.
An Octomom-themed episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," featuring an appearance by Suleman's father, also produced ratings gains over the top-rated yakker's season average.
"Dr. Phil" saw its household ratings increase 14% week to week to a 4.1 for the period ended March 1, with a two-part interview with Suleman on Feb. 25-26 generating rating increases of 31% and 42% compared with the previous week.
"Oprah," meanwhile, was up 22% for the same week thanks to a Feb. 24 episode featuring Suleman's dad and regular guest Dr. Mehmet Oz giving his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Suleman. (Oz is bound for his own Harpo-produced daytime series in the fall.)
The Feb. 24 Octomom episode garnered a 6.5 household rating, "Oprah's" third-highest number this season.
Outside syndication, a Feb. 10 appearance by Suleman on NBC's "Dateline" drew 11.3 million viewers, nearly double the show's average.
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