April 25--Diane Sawyer's conversation with Olympic gold-medal winner Bruce Jenner, who revealed he is in the process of becoming a transgender woman, was watched by about 16.9 million viewers on Friday night.
The special two-hour edition of ABC's news magazine "20/20" -- called "Bruce Jenner: The Interview" -- was described by Sawyer as "the last TV interview he'll do as Bruce." Jenner openly discussed every aspect of his issues with gender identity, including his family members' reactions to his decision to live the rest of his life as a woman.
According to figures from Nielsen, among viewers in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49 age group, the interview scored a 5.2 rating -- about four times its typical performance on a Friday night, when broadcast network TV ratings are typically low.
A large audience was expected, thanks to Jenner's cross-generational fame. He has been in the public eye since being an Olympic decathlon winner in 1976. He's now part of the wildly popular Kardashian family reality-TV franchise.
It was revealed during the ABC broadcast that a docu-series that chronicles Jenner's life as a transgender woman will air on E! starting July 26.
Jenner immediately trended across social media as the broadcast commenced, with running commentary of the historic broadcast, most of it positive.
