As fans discussed the emotional and musical details of the memorial, the media coverage and the integration between television and the internet was also a major topic. Nearly 15% of all online discussions about Jackson referenced either a broadcast or social network.

CNN which teamed up with Facebook on streaming coverage was named in 5% of all online conversations. Also on the TV network side, BET came in 2nd with 1.9%, ABC with 1.7%, MTV with 1.44%, NBC/MSNBC with 1.43%, Fox with 1.38% and CBS with 1.0%. Among social networks, Twitter was the most discussed social networking site with 2.4%. Facebook was mentioned in 2% of the conversations, followed by Youtube (1.9%) Myspace (0.6%) and Hulu (0.3%) which streamed FOX News coverage.

“While events like the Jackson memorial, or the Obama inauguration are unique, the way consumers are multitasking between media is quickly becoming the norm,” says Charles Buchwalter, Senior Vice President, Research & Analytics, Nielsen Online. “Even as recently as five years ago, the only choice for community was to gather around the TV screen with co-workers or friends for major events. Now, there are three screens to choose from and, as our research shows, online activity actually reinforces TV viewing. So when outlets like CNN integrate their coverage with Facebook or MSNBC leans heavily on Twitter it demonstrates the public’s growing integrated use of TV, the web, and mobile for getting, and at times reporting, the news.”

Twitter Doesn’t Fail Tweeters

Terms and tags such as #MJ and #Michael Jackson dominated the top trends on Twitter.com yesterday, July 7, 2009. Interestingly, even the misspelling of the King of Pop’s first name as “micheal” also topped trends throughout the day.

Users watch the events of the day unfold on TV and online, often “tweeting” about the coverage offered by various media outlets. Since many were limited to watching coverage online while at work, Twitter featured frequent links and recommendations for live video feeds, most commonly CNN’s live feed with Facebook integration, followed by CBS News/Ustream, MSN, and MSNBC.

During the memorial service, recommendations and links to video stream slowed down, and viewers began to focus more of their “tweets” on the performances at the service, only distracted by news that social media sites Facebook.com and Twitter.com were out of capacity and/or had crashed. However, CNN.com did continue to be the most recommended live feed during programming. Following programming, recommendations shifted to video recordings posted on YouTube.com.

Undoubtedly one of the most well-known figures in the world, Michael Jackson’s death has drawn significant attention. Here is a summary of other notable personalities whose death generated mass television interest.

While the chatter leveled off during the July 4 weekend, it is expected to bubble up again surrounding his public memorial on Tuesday, July 7.

“There wasn’t much discussion online about Michael Jackson – other than by his diehard fans – a year before, and even a day before, he died,” said Jon Gibs, Vice President, Media and Agency Insights at Nielsen Online. “Then, immediately after his death, everyone on the ‘Net was talking about him — at unprecedented volumes.”

Beyond The Buzz

Analysis of online conversations by Nielsen Online shows that most sentiment about him before his death was neutral, with almost a quarter being negative.  Post-death, 47 percent of the online conversations were positive, as fans past and present discussed his legacy and record-breaking hits like “Thriller,” “Beat It,” and “Billie Jean.”

On the day before his death, Jackson warranted one mention on TV among the major networks in New York City (a single mention on “The View”), generating just 282,000 household viewing impressions.  As events unfolded, household viewing impressions skyrocketed to almost 200 million. (see graphic)

While some may believe that media coverage of Jackson’s death and the upcoming public memorial service has been overdone, his fans – past and present – have used his passing as a way to celebrate the music he made in a career that spanned more than three decades.  Even in death, his music is breaking records: eight of the top 10 positions on Billboard’s Top Pop Catalog Albums chart last week were occupied by Jackson, with another belonging to the Jackson 5.  Jackson’s solo albums sold 415,000 copies last week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, up from approximately 10,000 the week prior to his death.

For complete chart and sales history, visit Billboard.com’s Michael Jackson site.

Nielsen Buzzmetrics analysis shows that more than 16% of tweets over the past 24 hours reference Michael Jackson, and less than 2 percent of Tweets mention Farrah Fawcett and Iran.

A Topper of Charts and a Major TV Draw

That Jackson’s passing dominated the web is no surprise, as he has been a major media draw for decades. According to Billboard, over the course of his solo career, Jackson charted 47 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, 13 of which went to No. 1. As part of the Jackson 5, he earned an additional four No. 1 Hot 100 hits.In addition to his unparalleled dominance on the Billboard music charts with albums like Thriller, his past television appearances have attracted millions of curious viewers eager to see more of the reclusive, yet ubiquitous, star.