KING OF POP CONQUERS TUBE
Michael Jackson is still walking on the moon.
Eighteen years after wowing home audiences on the Motown 25th Anniversary Show, the self-declared King of Pop showed he can still attract viewers.
Last night's Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special helped CBS take the night's ratings contest, peaking with a 19.0/30 share in its second hour, more than doubling NBC's Dateline. The show went neck-and-neck with a pair of Frasier repeats during its first hour before finishing the night with a hefty 16.5/24, 50% above its time period-winning JAG lead-in. That helped the Tiffany network take the night with a 14.7/21 share. The Jackson special is CBS's best Tuesday 9-11 p.m. performance with non-sports programming in households since Nov. '94 (Scarlett Part 2); in viewers, adults 18-34, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 since Feb. '93 (Queen Part 2).
The show, a self-tribute taped at the star-studded Sept. 7 and 10 concerts at N.Y.'s Madison Square Garden, featured performances by Britney Spears, NSYNC, Whitney Houston and Marc Anthony, as well as a reunion of the Jackson 5.
Last week, Jackson's Invincible album debuted at #1, selling more than 380k albums. This week, it is #3, selling almost 200k.
