Law&Crime, Court TV Set for Live Coverage of Johnny Depp - Amber Heard Trial Verdict

Johnny Depp Testified on Law&Crime
Johnny Depp's testimony on Law&Crime

Court TV and Dan Abrams’ Law&Crime network said they plan to stream the verdict in the sensational Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard defamation case live Wednesday afternoon.

The case has boosted viewership for Law&Crime, which has had gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial and for E.W. Scripps’ Court TV, which has been providing the pool feed from the courtroom,

Law&Crime’s live network numbers were up six-fold during the trial, Abrams said, and it was drawing nearly 1 million concurrent viewers on You Tube.

Court TV’s viewership was up 239% through May 19 on TV and its streaming usage jumped 300%.

The larger general cable news networks--CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, also carried the verdict live.

The Jury awarded Depp $15 million in damages while Heard was given $2 million.

Depp sued his ex-wife actress Amber Heard over allegations of domestic violence that appeared in a 2018 Op-Ed in The Washington Post and the  alleged damage done to his career. Heard could be held responsible for up to $50 million if found guilty of defamation. ■

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.

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