In an amusing article about the Jackson Memorial-a-palooza by WaPo’s Lisa de Moraes comes some historical media frenzy numbers that point to a 30+ million average viewer total for today’s “event”.
At least 16 television networks plan live coverage of the Jackson memorial. At press time, the list included ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Fox News Channel, CNN, CNN Headline News, MSNBC, TV One, MTV, VH1, VH1 Classic, VH1Soul, TV Guide Channel, E!, Univision and we’re sure we’re missing a few. Think Princess Di times 2.
Overwhelmed by the sheer number of Jackson death-march viewing options? We’re here to help.
For starters, given the historic ratings problems at most of the broadcast networks this summer, the timing of Jackson’s death has been their salvation, ratings-wise. They have high hopes for a large viewership today. FYI, when the Michael Jackson child-abuse trial verdict was read on June 13, 2005, about 31 million were watching it on TV. (Princess Di’s funeral was watched by about 33 million on a Saturday in September ‘97 across eight networks.)
via washingtonpost.com.
I wish this Jackson fanaticism would go the way of Michael Jackson.
(I wish it would die.)
Man, there was no near this amount of love for the guy last month when he was alive.
I was thinking it would pull in more like 15 million viewers. Would 30+ million viewers be a record for a non-primetime, non-sporting event?
RLH, note that my 30+ million guess, like the other numbers in the pull quote above are cumulative across multiple networks.
Since I wrote that however, I have read of the large number of streaming sites available (which I should have guessed would be the case), and that’s likely to cut down on the TV viewership numbers, so 30 million may well be out of reach.
Eric, I wish you would go the way of Sam Jackson. (get on a plane with snakes on it)
Sam Jackson lived.
As would I!
Your not Sam Jackson, your Eric. You would be one of those extras on the plane that died.
Michael was a musical and entertainment genius, for sure. But this is the strangest occurance I have ever seen. It has completely got blown out of proportion. Just so disturbing. I think of the movie “Network”. Where in life do you get a “congratulations” for a ticket to a funeral? Then some sell it on e-bay for thousands? Just weird.
I would like to know more about Obama visiting Putin.
Arguably MJ is the King of Pop whose album sales will eclipse Elvis now that he’s dead. You also can’t deny he made one of the best investments of all time in the buying of The Beatles catalog. However he was a ridiculously weird guy who frivolously spent millions of dollars a year more then he took in and whose personal life was nothing but a disaster and that’s just scratching the surface. It’s definitely time to move on so we can hear more about important things like Iraq, Afganistan, Iran and not to mention things going on in the US.
Don’t fault Michael Jackson for the endless media coverage. He has no say-so about it. Blame the money-hungry networks trying to boost their ratings.
This is not driven by the heads at these networks. Fact is millions of people are tuning in and Michael Jackson was a big deal for alot of people around the world. Its not just here. Michael Jackson is the largest figure in the world. Record breaking artist, humanitarian, the best selling artist after The Beatles and Elvis! Its not just another singer.
Like Berry Gordy said, he was the greatest entertainer that ever lived.
Just take a look at what is happening over at CNN, after being in a slump for quite a while, they are now experiencing huge ratings.