Just as Michael Jackson set records during his lifetime, so he continues after death. Tuesday’s memorial service was one of the most-watched and most-discussed live news events in recent history, with some analysts even calling it a milestone for media integration as fans gathered around TV sets, computers and smartphones and traded information on Facebook and other social-media services.
An average of 31.1 million TV viewers watched the memorial service, according to the Nielsen Company. The ceremony, which featured performances and tributes from Stevie Wonder, Brooke Shields and other celebrities, was carried live from approximately 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 19 networks, including the major broadcast and cable-news outlets.
While nothing close to the 100 million or so that annually tune in to the Super Bowl, these figures make Jackson’s one of the most-watched live televised farewells for any major public figure in recent times. The 1997 funeral for Princess Diana, which started airing before 6 a.m. in much of the U.S., drew a slightly higher total (33.2 million). Former President Ronald Reagan’s 2004 burial, which aired during prime time, was seen by 35.1 million, yet his funeral earlier that day was watched by a more modest 20.8 million.
In Jackson’s case, however, the TV numbers reveal only part of the picture. The pop star’s memorial spiked huge waves of online traffic as many viewers turned to their computers to watch the ceremony. MSNBC.com set a new record Tuesday for total online video streams (19 million), while the results for CNN (10.5 million) and Fox News (3.4 million) were exceeded only on Inauguration Day last January. At its peak, CNN.com logged 781,000 concurrent live streams; FoxNews.com peaked during the memorial with 677,000.
Nielsen said that Jackson’s death and its aftermath had drawn the most online buzz in Internet history. The reports of his death June 25 accounted for 8% of all online conversation, breaking daily records, the company said. On Twitter, Jackson-related search terms, even misspelled ones (“Micheal Jackson”), dominated the top trends Tuesday.
“While events like the Jackson memorial or the Obama inauguration are unique, the way consumers are multitasking between media is quickly becoming the norm,” Charles Buchwalter, a senior vice president at Nielsen Online, said in a company report. “Even as recently as five years ago, the only choice for community was to gather around the TV screen with co-workers or friends for major events. Now there are three screens to choose from and, as our research shows, online activity actually reinforces TV viewing.”
Can Jennifer Hudson's duet with Michael Jackson win a Grammy?
Of all the musical highlights at the memorial service to Michael Jackson, none was more bone-chilling than Jennifer Hudson's rendition of "Will You Be There." She belted it out with that same sky-shattering bravado that earned her an Oscar for crooning "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" in "Dreamgirls," and the performance was magically enhanced by the addition of Michael Jackson's whispered words, "In my darkest hour, in my deepest despair, will you still care? Will you be there?"
Not only was it expert song craftsmanship, but it was a cry to heaven freighted with extra poignancy knowing that the tragic loss of the King of Pop was being acknowledged artistically by a major new star who recently suffered the tragic loss of her family members.
Twice in recent years, the voices of living and dead artists were merged into recordings that won record of the year at the Grammys: "Unforgettable" with Natalie and Nat King Cole (1991) and "Here We Go Again" with Norah Jones and Ray Charles (2004).
Even if Jennifer Hudson's duet with Michael Jackson isn't issued as a single, it will still be Grammy eligible as an electronic recording available via download if released by iTunes and other sources.
Photos of Michael Jackson Memorial
Source1 Source2
No comments:
Post a Comment