Nielsen: 31.1 million people watched Jackson memorial

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Usher performs Tuesday at Michael Jackson's funeral service at the Staples Center.

NEW YORK (AP) — Some 31.1 million people in the United States watched the Michael Jackson memorial on television, with millions more catching video streams on their computers.

The Nielsen Media Research estimate Wednesday provided only a slice of the audience for the Los Angeles event. But it did offer insight on how the memorial compared to other events: President Barack Obama’s inauguration in January was seen by 38 million people on TV, and the “American Idol” finale in May had 28.9 million viewers.

Eighteen networks carried the memorial live, including all the big broadcasters and cable news stations, along with MTV, BET and the three largest Spanish-language stations.

Twelve years ago, 33.2 million people in the U.S. watched Princess Diana’s funeral. That happened early on a Saturday, as opposed to the middle of a workday, and people then didn’t have the option of watching it on their computers.

Complete estimates of the Internet audience were not immediately available, but individual Web sites reported some heavy traffic. MSNBC.com said it streamed nearly 19 million videos on Tuesday, a record for the site.

CNN.com said it had 10.5 million live streams, the second-busiest day in its history. It streamed nearly 27 million videos on Obama’s inauguration day. ABC News said its Web site had nearly 6 million video streams, with traffic up 70 percent over a typical day.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles officials cast about Wednesday to find ways to have others help pick up the multimillion-dollar bill.

City attorney Carmen Trutanich said his office was investigating how the financially troubled city can legally press third parties to pick up at least some of the tab, which could total as much as $4 million for police overtime and other services.

The city has also set up a Web site urging fans to make tax-deductible donations through credit cards, PayPal or check to help defray costs.

Former President Reagan’s funeral in 2004 was seen by 20.8 million viewers in the daytime hours, but his prime-time burial had an audience of 35.1 million people, Nielsen said. The opening ceremony of last year’s Beijing Olympics had 34.2 million viewers.