CNN Facebook Live Inauguration Stream Dominates Web Coverage

by Tina Kells | January 20, 2009 at 01:05 pm

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18.8 million people used the CNN Facebook live inauguration stream to follow the swearing in of the 44th President, Barack Obama. CNN reported streaming video of the Inauguration to more than 8 million web users.

Social media played a pivotal role in Obama's election campaign and it has once again flexed its growing muscle with live streamed coverage of the Inauguration events. There were several ways to use social media to follow the Inauguration, the Top 5 ways were featured as part of NowPublic's Obama Inauguration coverage.

Thanks to CNN and Facebook, you could get all that from the comfort of your desk chair. CNN.com's live streaming, which was accompanied by a sidebar showing who on Facebook was watching, set Web traffic records this morning, with 18.8 million total online viewers. It also served more than 1.3 million concurrent live streams just before Obama began his inaugural address, beating the estimated 700,000 concurrent streams served during a YouTube event that industry watchers believed held the previous record.

The total numbers were much higher. As of 8:10 a.m. Pacific time, CNN said, its website had served up more than 8 million live video streams globally, which beat its previous daily-streaming record of 5.3 million, set on election day. And that record was set before the ceremony got into full swing. The number hit 13.9 million by 8:45 a.m. and 18.8 million by 10 a.m.

The Facebook feed was complete with the snarky, inspired and sometimes gloomy commentary of the viewers. In turn, CNN staffers commented on the air about some of the Facebook comments. How meta.

As the pomp and circumstance were shown online, one woman wrote she was glad that Miley Cyrus wasn't singing the national anthem. A handful of other Web viewers virtually shouted "Amen" when prompted by Joseph Lowery. Still others mocked poet Elizabeth Alexander. The Facebook masses seemed not to like poetry. Judging from their comments, they also seem not to like former President Bush.

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skintone

at 14:37 on January 20th, 2009

It seemed at times almost surreal to be watching history unfold on my computer via facebook, while adding my two cents about what i was seeing and hearing and then reading people's responses to my comments. Even though i was alone, I was definitely feeling connected, not only to my facebook friends but to the millions watching around the world. A vastly different feeling than sitting passively in front of the T.V.

Every now and then, i would take a photo of the scene on my computer with perhaps my face in the corner so that i could prove i was really there, and i would take other pics showing people's fb comments to the right of the live feed, and of course, i was still keeping track of my emails, flickr pictures, and even trying to do a bit of work. Somehow, all this information and technology overload seemed natural, yet i couldn't help but think how incredible it all was and how I would never forget this experience.

On top of all this of course, were my emotional reactions to seeing the various players in this drama, their interplay and how wonderful it was to know that the last 8 years were finally over!! Even though I am Canadian, i live just a mile away from Detroit so i can't help but feel a great affinity for Americans. And of course, my city's economy is directly affected by what happens in Michigan.

And lastly, even though i'm not a poetry lover, I found Elizabeth Alexander's words deeply moving and profound and wonderfully appropriate for this momentous day. In fact, I intend to find a copy of her poem to re-read and share with friends who didn't get a chance to hear it. I know that my 14 year old daughter, (who announced with rather amazed disgust this morning before school, that George Bush has been president more than half of her life), will definitely appreciate it.

I look forward to more new days.

davidorban

at 14:42 on January 20th, 2009

I am mostly skeptical of Facebook as its success undermines the openness of the web. It is a black hole that sucks in al our attention, and doesn't allow anything out. However, this integration witht the CNN stream was very well done, and the balance between the worldwide 'tweets' from other FB users and those from your friends was perfect. Using the status message for the attention stream is also a good choice. To remark on its closed nature, one of my friends said: "It feels as if we were writing on sand..."

witchazel

at 16:12 on January 20th, 2009

Seems like the whole world's tuned in. (And from all the Facebook status updates on CNN.com Live, it also looks like half the Facebook population is pretending to work at their computers while watching the live streaming.) Apparently, James Buchanan's inauguration was the first to be photographed. Franklin Roosevelt's was the first to be televised, and Bill Clinton's 2nd inauguration was the first to be broadcasted over the internet. I suppose Obama's is the first to be broadcasted along with a worldwide Facebook party =P How historic. I'm part of history in the making! *runs off to update Facebook status*

witchazel has contributed a photo to this story.

caj1

at 19:25 on January 20th, 2009

I "reverted" to normal television channels today, using my new analog-to-digital converter box (for those of us who do not subscribe to cable TV in the U.S). The picture and sound came in loud and clear from the major U.S. networks, i.e., CBS, NBC, and ABC. Frankly, I'm not sure I would have wanted to see Facebook commenters' remarks in real time as the events unfolded.