Hello BillFrugge!
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich book sold more than one million
hardcover copies...and more than one million paperback copies
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Third_Reich). The
1960 book topped U.S. best-seller lists for half a year
(http://entertainment.time.com/2011/08/30/all-time-100-best-nonfiction-books/slide/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich-by-william-l-shirer/).
In the TV movie, a large amount of archival footage is used. The quality of
much of this is below today's standards, especially in Part 1. But that's
all there is, and it's still easily viewable. Just don't expect blueray
quality.
In 1968 there were TV ratings. Advertisers bought TV spots based on
viewership. I'm sure demographics and analytics were available. Advertising
was pretty sophisticated by this time, and advertisers needed information on
how to best market their products over the air. Unfortunately I could find
none of that information online for this TV movie. What were the TV ratings?
Good question.
I know the book was a long-time entry in every best seller list. I am also
told that the TV movie was a much-heralded event. Too bad the numbers aren't
available to see how heralded of an event.
|
|