Third more saw UHA from afar
THE ORGANISERS behind this year’s Up Helly Aa live webcast said they were pleased with the increase in viewers across the globe.
Almost 12,000 people watched online as Guizer Jarl Stevie Grant led Tuesday night’s procession and burning of the galley.
Promote Shetland manager Any Steven said the number represented an increase of almost 37 per cent compared to last year’s 8,666 viewers.
“The top three countries were the UK, New Zealand and Australia – no surprises there,” he said.
“This was followed by Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Germany and France, but there were also viewers from as far away as Panama, Chile, Singapore, Indonesia and Tuvalu.”
He added: “Rain and wind – the wind direction probably made it worse as we were shooting into driven rain! – created extremely challenging conditions for the camera crews however further enhancements will continue to evolve for 2014.”
Tuesday night’s streaming was exclusively sponsored by ferry operator NorthLink and relayed via facilities at the new music and cinema venue Mareel.
Keep Shetland’s news open to everyone
Your membership helps us report the stories that matter to Shetland — and keep them free for everyone to read.
