Hope for Haiti a $61 Million Success

More than 83 million people tuned in Friday to watch George Clooney's vision take shape

By Natalie Finn Jan 25, 2010 11:30 PMTags
Bono, Jay Z, Rihanna, TelethonDave M. Bennett/Getty Images

Nothing unites TV audiences quite like a natural disaster. Or, as it turns out, a good cause.

The Hope for Haiti Now benefit, which was broadcast by more than 60 television networks last Friday, was watched by roughly 83 million people in the United States, with about 24 million of them following along for the entire two hours.

And the people watching weren't just sitting there.

Donations made during the telethon now stand at more than $61 million, according to MTV Networks, which teamed with George Clooney and Wyclef Jean to get this show on the road.

The international production, headed up by Clooney in Los Angeles, Jean in New York and Anderson Cooper in Haiti, and featuring live performances and testimonials from London, was also streamed online about 1.9 million times during the live show, plus about 5.8 million times over the weekend.

What do you know? It was also the most talked about topic on Twitter, prompting 1 million tweets during and around the event on Friday alone, according to media monitor Collective Intellect.

Hope for Haiti Now will be accepting donations for the next six months.

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It isn't too late! Find out how you can help relief efforts in Haiti right here.