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‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ posted best year in ABC run after Ben Affleck and Jamie Ding win $1 million for Eastern Congo Initiative
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Culture/The Apex Times/Aug 3, 1:19 PM EDT

‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ posted best year in ABC run after Ben Affleck and Jamie Ding win $1 million for Eastern Congo Initiative

ABC said its revival of the game show drew 4.22 million live plus same-day viewers for the July 29 episode, helped by contestant success and celebrity participation in a charitable $1 million moment.

2 min readEditor-approved Apex article

ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire saw its best performance in a year following an episode that featured Ben Affleck and contestant Jamie Ding, according to Deadline, citing viewership figures for the July 29 airing.

The program’s charity tie-in, described by Deadline as part of the show’s $1 million win for the Eastern Congo Initiative, reached a major milestone during the episode featuring Affleck and Ding. Deadline reports that Affleck and Ding “didn’t just secure $1 million” for the Eastern Congo Initiative, indicating the celebrity involvement coincided with the show’s top prize reaching that charitable recipient.

Deadline also reported that the episode generated 4.22 million live plus same-day viewers, a measurement that blends same-day viewing with the live broadcast total. The figure was presented as the series’ strongest performance in the prior year, contributing to ABC’s broader scheduling performance.

In addition to the viewership results, Deadline said the episode marked a ratings high for ABC, tying the audience gains to the celebrity and contestant combination on the game show. The report characterized the reception as part of a week in which Millionaire sustained its momentum around the charitable $1 million moment.

The Deadline report, dated August 3, 2026, framed the win and the audience boost together, pointing to how high-profile participants and the show’s milestone could translate into measurable audience pickup. The article described the $1 million as directly benefiting the Eastern Congo Initiative rather than remaining within the show’s prizes framework alone.

Details of how the show’s challenge mechanics led to the charitable payout were not expanded in the Deadline summary beyond the fact that the $1 million was secured during the July 29 episode involving Ding and Affleck. The report did not provide additional breakdowns of the exact question sequence, the specific format rules used for the charity conversion, or further financial accounting beyond the $1 million figure.

Deadline’s reporting indicates the episode aired July 29 and that the 4.22 million “live + same-day” metric is what defined the show’s best performance in a year for that period, with ABC receiving the benefit in its primetime programming lineup. The next step for viewers and the network will be whether future episodes can maintain similar audience levels as the charity milestone and celebrity involvement recede from the immediate week’s focus.

Why It Matters

  • A major charitable payout of $1 million was linked to a high-profile primetime audience moment, illustrating how entertainment formats can connect to philanthropic fundraising on broadcast schedules.
  • The reported 4.22 million live plus same-day viewership figure suggests that celebrity participation and high-stakes game moments can drive measurable audience activity for networks.
  • Stronger-than-usual ratings in a specific week can influence how networks evaluate programming slots and promotional emphasis for long-running franchise shows.
  • For the Eastern Congo Initiative, the timing of the donation matters because it arrives in conjunction with a broadcast event that can heighten public awareness and engagement.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Ben Affleck and contestant Jamie Ding were involved in a July 29 episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on ABC, according to Deadline.
  • Deadline reported that the pair helped secure $1 million for the Eastern Congo Initiative during the episode.
  • The July 29 episode delivered 4.22 million live plus same-day viewers, Deadline said.
  • Deadline said the episode marked the show’s best performance in a year.
  • Deadline described the results as a ratings high for ABC tied to the episode’s milestone.
‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ posted best year in ABC run after Ben Affleck and Jamie Ding win $1 million for Eastern Congo Initiative | The Apex Times