The love for Miss Janet was palpable on Friday and Saturday, as the Queen of Pop’s self-titled documentary reigned supreme on primetime, drawing over 15.7 million total viewers across Lifetime and A&E’s linear and digital platforms. It was No. 1 on both Jan. 28 and 29 with women in the 25-54 age range.
Among total viewers, “Janet Jackson” on Lifetime and A&E had a 48% stronger turnout than “Surviving R. Kelly Part 1” on Lifetime in the first weekend of January 2019, with 3.1 million versus 2.1 million P2+ Live+Same Day linear viewers. In addition, “Janet Jackson” was cable’s best non-fiction freshman debut since ESPN and ESPN2’s “The Last Dance” docuseries in 2020 with total viewers across the key, ages 18-49 demo and ages 25-54. On A&E, Part 4 of the “Janet Jackson” doc event was the network’s most-watched telecast since “Biography: WWE Legends” in the ages 25-54 range.
The documentary performed well on social, landing at the top of trending topics across all TV during its premiere nights. The hashtag “#JanetJacksonDoc” ranked No. 1 on Twitter and garnered 1.1 million interactions throughout airings over the weekend, according to Talkwalker. #JanetJacksonDoc was the most social program for Lifetime since “Surviving R. Kelly.”
At the conclusion of the documentary, Jackson debuted her new song “Luv I Luv,” and much of her beloved songs rose on iTunes’ charts with her album “Control” in the top pop slot, “Rhythm Nation” in the top R&B slot and “Design of a Decade” entering the Top 10 on the iTunes U.S. Chart. Jackson’s music videos for “That’s the Way Love Goes,” “All for You,” “Rhythm Nation,” “Again,” “Control” “Miss You Much,” “Escapade,” “The Pleasure Principle,” “If” and “You Want This” took up all 10 pop spots. Furthermore, eight albums in the Top 10 iTunes U.S. Pop Chart currently belong to Jackson with “Control” at No. 1, “Design of a Decade” coming in second, “The Velvet Rope” landing in fifth along with “Best of Number Ones,” “Unbreakable” clinching seventh and “Damita Jo” ending in 10th place.
Following the success of the event, Lifetime will encore all four hours of “Janet Jackson” on Friday, Feb. 4 beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
