Palisades Park – On the heels of the show’s airing in the U.S. on CBS on February 9, 2014 – exactly 50 years to the day, date and time of the original event – and having just recently been appointed exclusive international distributor, Alfred Haber, President of Alfred Haber, Inc. (AHI), announced that the company has already secured numerous international sales for The Beatles: The Night that Changed America – A Grammy® Salute, the 2½-hour CBS special that celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ groundbreaking U.S. debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The show features a memorable reunion of Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr performing the classic Beatles songs “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, “With A Little Help From My Friends”, and “Hey Jude”, as well as many other musical superstars paying tribute to the Fab Four.
“The Beatles: The Night that Changed America – A Grammy® Salute”. Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Photo Courtesy of The Recording Academy®/Wireimage.com © 2014. Photographed by: Kevin Mazur.
Key initial international sales for this primetime entertainment special include Canal+’s D8/17 (France), WOWOW (Japan), Televisa (Mexico), Rogers Media (Canada), Foxtel (Australia), TVNZ (New Zealand), NTR (Netherlands), SVT (Sweden), TV Romania (Romania), and Net Media (Indonesia).
“The Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show is one of the most watched television events ever — with 74 million people tuning in to watch the group perform five songs during the variety hour,” stated Haber. “This special celebrates the remarkable legacy of the seven-time Grammy-winning group with extraordinary performances by music’s top talent, and we are delighted with the immediate response we have received from our broadcasters the world over.”
Averaging an impressive 13.95 million viewers when it aired on February 9 – and peaking at nearly 14.8 million during the final half hour – the special also contains footage from that historic, landmark Sunday evening in 1964 as well as David Letterman interviewing Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr at the iconic Ed Sullivan Theater; recollections from fans who were in the audience for the Beatles’ first performance on The Ed Sullivan Show; and interviews with the show’s art director, associate producer, and production assistant who were there the night this milestone event took place.
The Beatles: The Night that Changed America – A Grammy Salute features spectacular, wall-to-wall performances by Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr (solo and together); Gary Clark, Jr., Dave Grohl (of Foo Fighters) and Joe Walsh (of Eagles); Eurythmics (Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart reunited for one night only); Imagine Dragons; Alicia Keys and John Legend; Jeff Lynne (of E.L.O. and Traveling Wilburys) and Dave Grohl; Jeff Lynne and Joe Walsh joined by Dhani Harrison (George Harrison’s son); Maroon 5; John Mayer and Keith Urban; Katy Perry; Ed Sheeran; Pharrell Williams and Brad Paisley; and 25-time Grammy winner Stevie Wonder.
