Hmm, the average TV ratings for Live Earth were 3.1 million, which is pretty poor when you consider the average audience for the previous weekend's Concert For Diana was 11.4 million. Still, it's like I always say, a dead princess is more fun that a dying world. And hey, the great British public might continue to pollute the world with their gas guzzling motor cars, but at least they'll know not to trust the planet to a drunk Parisian chauffeur, so all is not lost.
Oh look at us, with our sick Diana gags, we apologise, we'll no doubt pay on judgment day. Well, unless Prince Phillip is put in charge of the gates to heaven. It is worth noting that with an estimated peak audience of 14.8 million, the Concert For Diana was a really big deal audience wise - bigger in the UK than both Live 8 and the original Live Aid. Which is a considerable achievement for all involved. So well done them.
Back to Live Earth, and the Beeb has confirmed it received a total of 130 complaints about various performers swearing live on air, Phil Collins, Johnny Borrell and that fucking Madonna among them. Shocking. Though 400 people complained that the BBC cut away from Metallica's set before it had finished, which puts the swearing into perspective. It's not that surprising so many Metallica fans complained really - the BBC did cut away from their performance of the classic 'Enter Sandman' to show a recording of Crowded House performing at Live Earth Sydney. Now, we're big Crowded House fans here at CMU, but if you're a Metallica fan expecting 'Enter Sandman' and you're suddenly presented with 'Weather With You', you're going to be a bit pissed. A BBC spokeswoman apologised for that decision, but explained the concert was "running behind schedule" and that producers wanted to make sure they had chance to play the Crowded House video "to reflect what was happening across the globe". I'm guessing there was a Finn Brother loving, metal hating producer in the gallery.
The UK TV audience for Live Earth may not have been great, but the online audience was pretty damn big - with 10 million online streams being accessed, making it, according to MSN, the biggest entertainment based webcast ever.
MSN Chief Media Officer Joanne Bradford called the Live Earth webcast "a milestone in live internet broadcasting", adding: "We expect to see an even greater number of streams after the concerts are over as people return to watch their favorite performances or enjoy them for the first time if they missed the concerts live".