Ariana Grande’s Manchester Benefit Concert Got Over 76M Views On Facebook Live

Love prevailed over hate Sunday evening in the UK when Ariana Grande put on her  One Love Manchester  concert with friends, including Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Coldplay, among several other high-profile names in music. Help came not only from fellow artists, but also from social media. Facebook Live came through with an event that had more than 76 million views and donations were made via Facebook's charitable giving product, the Donate Button. This feature in Facebook Live for Pages was just launched in March and this was the first time it was used during a live benefit concert that Facebook streamed.

Donations from over 22,000 people were made during the live stream and monies are still pouring in. The amount raised is now over $450,000 for victims of the terrorist suicide bombing attack that took the lives of 22 people and wounded dozens more at the end of Grande’s Manchester concert last month. The benefit concert came a day after another terrorist attack on the London Bridge, which took the lives of seven and left dozens injured. 

United in tragedy, fans from around the world came together as a community to watch the concert, interact with each other and donate directly to the One Love Manchester fund through the Entertainment Industry Foundation. This made the Facebook stream unique from other networks and platforms, including Twitter and YouTube, that also streamed the concert. There were over 2.5 million reactions, with “Love” as the most popular, and more than 400,000 comments were made during the concert with over 750,000 shares. 

More than 50,000 fans were in attendance as Grande performed at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Greater Manchester alongside Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas, Take That, Robbie Williams, Imogen Heap, Liam Gallagher, Niall Horan, Little Mix, Mac Miller, will.i.am and Taboo. And, several other stars sent video messages in support.  

Grande’s efforts paid off with over $3 million in ticket sales, in addition to online donations, totaling an approximate $9 million and counting. The concert was the most-watched TV event in the UK this year with nearly 11 million viewers tuning in. The concert, which aired live on BBC One, also played live in over 50 countries. Free tickets were offered to the 14,200 attendees at Grande’s Dangerous Woman concert at Manchester Arena in late May. Evidence that this was just what the city needed during such a painful time came quickly with tickets selling out just 20 minutes after going on sale.  

Last year, Facebook made it possible for people to raise money for more than 750,000 nonprofits through fundraisers and donate buttons in their live broadcasts and posts. Now, verified Pages can add donate buttons to their live broadcasts. This gives public figures, brands, businesses and organizations new ways to fundraise on Facebook for the nonprofits they support. People watching a live broadcast can donate as they watch, or give once the broadcast has ended and is posted on the Page. 

You can also donate directly to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund charity, set up by Manchester City Council in partnership with the  British Red Cross  to help victims and their families.

The article was originally posted on  Forbes.com