Microsoft talks up Live Earth

Microsoft's MSN portal reported a landmark global audience of over 10 million for the webcast of this weekend's Live Earth concerts to combat the threat of global warming.

Over 10 million live streams were active during the performances on 7 July in New York, London, Sydney, Rio, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hamburg.

On-demand footage of all performances, along with artist interviews, backstage footage, search capabilities for songs, artists and more, will be available at LiveEarth.MSN.com for the next few weeks.

Joanne Bradford, corporate vice president and chief media officer at MSN, said: "Millions of people have joined together to fight the climate crisis, and the 10 million streams delivered so far represent a milestone in live internet broadcasting.

"We expect to see an even greater number of streams after the concerts as people watch their favourite performances again or enjoy them for the first time if they missed the concerts live."

Kevin Wall, founder and producer of Live Earth, added: "Live Earth is committed to providing our global audience with ways to 'Answer the Call' and individually make a difference to help solve the climate crisis.

"By providing the opportunity to view the shows in their entirety online, coupled with our unique solutions campaign, we are able to communicate this message on a mass-scale in a way that engages people and inspires them to act."