Michael Jackson's memorial set to be 'web's biggest day'

Michael Jackson's memorial to be watched the world over
Michael Jackson's memorial to be watched the world over

The memorial service for Michael Jackson, which is scheduled to happen today, is set to become the 'web's biggest day', according to online experts.

A number of websites will be covering the event, with the likes of Hulu announcing that it is to stream the service live at 9:30am PST (12:30pm EST) from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Biggest thing ever

The Times has spoken to Adam Ostrow, Editor-in-Chief of Mashable, and he told the paper: "It could just be the biggest thing ever in the history of the internet.

"The memorial service is happening during normal hours in the US when people will be at work, which means people aren't going to be in front of a TV, they are going to be at their computers and turning to the internet to watch the event."

MySpace is also getting in on the act, with live streaming, with Sarah Joyce of MySpace Music explaining to the Times: "The memorial will be streamed real-time, free, and people will be able to comment or link over to Michael Jackson's profile. We are picking up the stream and showing our support."

Sky and Channel 5

It's not all about the web – traditional media is also gearing up for a bumper day, with Sky announcing it is to show the memorial service in HD.

Michael Jackson's memorial service will be covered in high definition by the satellite provider, both on television and online, with the service going out on Sky Arts 1 HD channel and Skynews.com.

Channel 5 is also getting in on the act with a special news programme, fittingly titled: 'Michael: The World Says Goodbye'. This will broadcast from LA from 18.30 until 20.00.

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.