Digital Media

Fans sign a banner outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles--the site of Tuesday's planned Michael Jackson memorial service.

(Credit: CC famoussd/Flickr)

Some 1.6 million people registered for a chance to receive 8,750 pairs of tickets to attend Michael Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Center on Tuesday. But if you weren't among the lucky few who won tickets but feel the need to bear witness to the spectacle, fear not--several Web sites plan to provide live streaming video of the event.

The service will be a star-studded event, with singers Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, and Smokey Robinson expected to perform in what some expect to be the biggest event in the Web's history.

Considering how news Web sites buckled under the weight of the public's thirst for news on the singer's death last month, how the Web will handle the public's demand for a live view of the service is the big mystery. Indeed, the surge of Michael Jackson-related searches on Google News was first interpreted by the search giant as an attack on its service.

Here's a sampling of the Web sites that plan to offer live streams from the service, which begins at 10 a.m. PDT:

News sites
CBSNews.com, which is owned by CNET parent CBS, plans to stream video provided by Los Angeles-based station KCBS, as well as other sources. TV.com, also a CBS property, plans to stream the CBSNews.com content as well.

CNN plans to stream the memorial service with hosts Anderson Cooper, Larry King, Don Lemon, and Soledad O'Brien.

ABCNews.com plans to stream live with commentary from Charles Gibson.

Fox News' live stream will be hosted by Shepard Smith, with Greta Van Susteren and Megyn Kelly providing live reports from the scene.

Local Fox affiliate KTTV is also providing live streaming.

U.K. news site SkyNews is providing live HD streaming.

Video and social networking
Hulu, as one of the most popular video Web sites, may be one of the best-prepared sites to handle the load. It plans to stream the Fox News feed.

Microsoft's InMusic is providing high-definition streaming via its Silverlight and SmoothStreaming technology.

MySpace members will have access to a live stream provided by entertainment titan AEG, which owns the Staples Center and was underwriting the planned Jackson tour.

Facebook members will have access to CNN Live feed thanks to a partnership with the TV news channel.

Updated at 10 a.m. with more news sites.