Last week’s online streaming coverage of the Curiosity rover’s Mars landing drew more viewers than most of the prime time cable news channels.
“Ustream, the website that broadcast the landing, told Mashable that its live-stream reached a peak viewership of 500,000, besting CNN, MSNBC, and HLN,” reports Slate. “A total of 3.2 million people tuned in to the live stream at one point or another.”
The numbers suggest that Americans are very interested in seeing history unfold live, even if the production value is not on the same level as other traditional media.
Additionally, NBC served 1.5 million live streams of the women’s gymnastics team final during its recent Olympics coverage.
“How many were actually watching at any given time is unclear, but the figure suggests sports fans are at least as enthusiastic about watching events online as science buffs,” notes the article.
Although online broadcasts may be starting to reach a mainstream audience, their numbers do not typically come close to those involving television viewers. TV still reigns supreme for now.
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