83M watched MTV's Haiti relief telethon

NEW YORK, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Friday's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" drew a cumulative audience of more than 83 million viewers, MTV said.

The telethon also had a gross average audience of more than 24 million viewers in the United States. The event has raised more than $61 million in donations from the general public to date, MTV, which organized the telethon, said Monday.

"Hope for Haiti Now" aired across numerous networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, AMC, CNBC, COMEDY CENTRAL, Bravo, E! Entertainment, MSNBC, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, CENTRIC, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, EPIX, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health, Planet Green, CNN en Espanol, HBO Latino, Logo, MTV2, MTV Tr3s, MTV Hits, VH1 Classic and VH1 Soul.

Across the Web and on mobile outlets, "Hope for Haiti Now" attracted 1.9 million video streams during the live broadcast.

"Hope for Haiti Now" was intended to benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Program, Yele Haiti Foundation and the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation.

The telethon was led by Wyclef Jean in New York, George Clooney in Los Angeles and CNN's Anderson Cooper reporting from Haiti. It featured performances by Jean, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Sting, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Emeline Michel, Beyonce and Coldplay, as well as group performances by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna, and Keith Urban, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow.