If you didn't tune into
Michael Jackson's memorial service yesterday, you were one of the few.
The numbers just came in, and almost 31 million people tuned in to watch the service, which was broadcasted on every major network, as well as cable networks.
According to Nielsen ratings, 30.9 million viewers watched the service, which aired on 18 different networks and featured performances and words of remembrance from
Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder,
Brooke Shields, Jermaine Jackson and many others.
Those numbers don't even include overseas viewers. Coverage on BBC2 in the United Kingdom averaged 4 million viewers, and about 2 million more people watched on Channel 5 and Sky News. Another 20 million people in Germany tuned in.
MNSBC.com broke a single-day record with 19 million video streams on Tuesday, and CNN delivered almost 10 million streams just between noon and 5PM.
The TV audience for Jackson's memorial was on par with other recent funerals of renowned figures. Former President Ronald Reagan's burial ceremony in 2005 was seen by more than 35 million people; 33 million tuned in to Princess Diana's funeral in 1997.
