31 Million Watch MJ Memorial

According to Nielsen Media, more than 31 million Americans watched Michael Jackson's memorial service on TV yesterday. How does this viewership compare to that of past historical events? The inauguration of President Barack Obama (38 million viewers) and Princess Diana's funeral (33.2 million viewers) both exceeded MJ's memorial, but still - 31 million people is very significant. Every major broadcaster and cable news station in the United States, 18 networks total, televised the Jackson memorial on Tuesday afternoon. Mariah Carey, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Lionel Richie, Usher, Brooke Shields, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder were among the celebrity guest performers at the event. MJ's funeral was held at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, where 17,500 people were given free tickets to attend.

In addition, millions of people in the U.S. and around the world watched video streams of the event on the Internet. Powerhouse news network, CNN, and the world's #1 social networking Website, Facebook, teamed up to create the ultimate interactive environment for Michael Jackson fans. By visiting CNN.com, Facebook users were able to view live Facebook feeds while viewing live coverage of funeral.