Though understandably, I’m sure Akamai and Keynote are not permitted to release the numbers on their end without permission from their clients, that was just wishful thinking on my part.

I have a call into MSN regarding the peak concurrent number but I’m not very optimistic I will hear back.

Also, from what I understand, Keynote does not put out any numbers that talk to traffic or visitors for video, they only put out numbers based on the quality and availability of the content.

You are correct, of course. The metrics and methodology are weak. But at least they put out a number. I’m still waiting for VH-1’s PR folks to get back to me on how many streams, users, etc., they delivered for the Concert for Diana last week. Hopefully the good folks at Keynote (www.keynote.com) will put out some news shortly.

The release says “the most simultaneous viewers of any online concert ever.” But they only announced the total number of streams so they’re claiming a record based on a number which they never released.

The headline they were going for of 10 million viewers, I believe, but it isn’t a good metric. They had multiple simultaneous streams by country. So every time someone clicked off the concert in New York to see one elsewhere that added up to 10 million + views. And I’d be willing to bet everyone did this a couple of times.

So the question to ask is, what was that “record-breaking” number of simultaneous streams. Microsoft? Control Room? Akamai? Anyone?

Only way MSN or anyone can call something a “record” is if you have data from all webcasts and compare apples to apples, which never happens. Each time Apple does a Jobs webcast, the always put out a release like “Apple Delivers Record-Breaking Webcast of Macworld Keynote”. Record based on what?