Did 1bn People Really Watch This?

Headline in yesterdays paper read: 1bn tune in to watch Michael Jackson memorial.

If there is one area where fact and fiction are furthest apart it is global viewing estimates. 1bn is almost one in six of every being on the planet. Give me strength.

A glance at some proper numbers: US viewing estimate: 30m. UK viewing: 6m. And they are probably the markets most passionate about his music. Where are the other 964m coming from?

In reality the Jackson memorial pulled in about the same as the Pop Idol final in the US. And around one-third of the annual Superbowl audience of 100m or so. In the UK 6m is the same as Top Gear. So if audiences were moderate in the US and UK why would they be any different elsewhere? They wouldn't, they would be even smaller proportionately.

What about online? A few million globally at most.

PS One phrase to watch out for in this area is 'potential audience'. It simply means what the audience would be if everyone who could receive the channel the event was broadcast on tuned in to it. Utterly meaningless.