David Farnor | On 05, Jun 2017

One Love Manchester broke live-streaming records on BBC iPlayer this weekend, as millions tuned in to watch the concert.

Staged by Ariana Grande less than two weeks after the terror attack that occurred following her gig in the city, the benefit concert is estimated to have raised more than £2 million for the victims of the bombing. As well as donating its proceeds, the concert was broadcast around the world, drawing 50,000 people to the Old Trafford Cricket Ground and bringing a country together in the wake of another attack in London the night before.

BBC Studios produced the TV coverage, which was syndicated to 56 different countries, while ITV moved its Britain’s Got Talent finale to the Saturday evening to free up any competition for the Sunday night slot. The concert saw Grande joined by stars such as Robbie Williams, Take That, Katy Perry, Little Mix, Justin Bieber, Coldplay and Liam Gallagher. The latter two have had their feuds in the past, but the pair duetted on a cover of Oasis classic Live Forever, while Martin and Grande both led a crowd singalong to Don’t Look Back in Anger.

The result was a moving demonstration of the uniting power of pop music, with an average of 10.9 million viewers watching the gig on BBC One, peaking at 14.5 million and a 49.3 per cent share, according to data from BARB. The event was also streamed live on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as on BBC iPlayer. The latter saw a record-breaking number of streams, with more than 1 million requests to watch it live online – surpassing the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics to become the most-watched non-sports programme in iPlayer’s history.

You can still watch the whole thing on BBC iPlayer here – or on YouTube below:

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