It took a little while to compile the figures, but it turns out that Tuesday’s memorial service for Michael Jackson drew a lot of mobile TV viewers in addition to all those watching via traditional TV and the Internet.
FLO TV, the Qualcomm subsidiary, reports that viewership shot up more than 80 percent compared to the previous day. The average viewer spent over 40 minutes watching FLO – one of the biggest viewing days on record.
More than 85 percent of the audience watching FLO TV from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday was tuned to the Jackson memorial coverage.
True to form, the event shows that big events draw crowds. FLO saw viewership increases of 80 percent or more during President Barack Obama’s inauguration, the 2008 summer Olympics and sporting events like the U.S. Open golf championships.
GoTV expected higher-than-normal viewing for Jackson’s memorial, and that’s what it got. Initially, feeds from the event provided via broadband were overloaded due to so many viewers tuning in at once, but the issue was resolved and GoTV was able to process and distribute the event, according to a spokeswoman.
GoTV was the official mobile partner for concert promoter and Staples Center owner AEG. GoTV services work across a range of mobile operator networks.