Michael Jackson fans use new, old media in tandem
While a number of readers of this blog have expressed their disappontment in learning that the TV audience for Micahel Jackson's memorial service Tuesday was smaller than that of the funeral of Princess Diane in 1997 and the burial of Ronald Reagan in 2004, I have been trying to stress that neither of those event had anywhere near the online audience watching live video streams.
When you add the more than 20 million people watching live TV coverage on computer and mobile screens Tuesday to the 31 million watching on TV screens, the Jackson memorial wins hands down. And I have received many comments and emails from folks who were in that online audience at work Tuesday.
That points to one of the other groundbreaking aspects of coverage of Jackson's death for the past 13 days -- the degree to which fans combined new and old media in getting their news and analysis about Jackson.
How and where did you watch Jackson coverage? And did it make a difference in your experience of the events?
According to Nielsen, not only did the TV and online viewing of the memorial service set records, the media conversations about Jackson continuing through yesterday (and probably today) also reached new highs.
As Nielsen points out, almost 15 percent of all online chatter about Jackson involved some reference to TV or social network coverage of the Jackson story.
Michael Jackson's death and memorial service clearly show us rapidly moving down the path of media integration -- a second path of integration that he helped move a worldwide audience along.
Categories: Michael Jackson, New media
Comments
miss u xxxx
Posted by: shannon bell | July 9, 2009 9:17 AM
Michael's millions of fans reach far and wide around the globe and all of us, including us here in the Philippines, are hungry for information about him. In life and in death, we adore him. For us, he's the greatest, most brilliant, most compassionate, gentlest artist who ever lived. As for those scums who continue to weave lies and persecute him, while alive and even after his death, it is undeniable THAT THEY CAN NOT HELP BUT THINK OF MICHAEL JACKSON, and even in death, their favorite subject is still the great MICHAEL JACKSON. Admit it, but even the journalists who bombard Michael with their accusations and lies GET PAID for doing so, ergo, Michael Jackson is a source of their LIVELIHOOD. They should at least be thankful to Michael for that.
Posted by: LORITES ACUNIN | July 9, 2009 9:44 AM
Why aren't the Jackson's picking up the tab instead of LA? There is a related post at http://iamsoannoyed.com/?page_id=588
Posted by: carly | July 9, 2009 10:22 AM
The "20 million people" watching via computer that day were not necessarily watching michael jackson memorial coverage.
You have made a leap of logic that is not supported by real data. Read it for yourself.
The number of people watching live via computer at any one moment will likely be less that 5 million.
Yes, they were watching ther memorial service. They were measured by different audience survey organizations including Omniture. You think CNN.com and MSNBC.com can just make this stuff up? The audience survey organizations measured exactly what they were watching. That 19.5 million is NOT people using a computer. It's people watching a video stream of the memorial service. There is no leap of logic. This is fact. Z
Posted by: roy | July 9, 2009 3:49 PM
There is a major poll running over at www.tinyurl.com/evilgood as to whether Michael Jackson was good or evil. Evil is currently in the lead! I think this poll is being recorded in some sort of record book, anyways, everybody go vote for good!
Posted by: Joan | July 10, 2009 1:30 AM
Before you want to comment on Michael Jackson please….
Have you watched this pt 1 to 9?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvhwWDCV9Bo
After you have done so please watch these as well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-W59Qv1EiI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15TSEKXXIvI
Posted by: Kayla | July 13, 2009 10:20 PM