Live stream of planes landing at Heathrow Airport during storm draws surprisingly big online crowd
A live stream of planes attempting to land at London's Heathrow Airport might be Friday's hottest morning show.
As the U.K. was slammed Friday with a dangerous storm, a YouTube live stream from Big Jet TV of planes landing at Heathrow Airport became an online sensation. At one point, over 200,000 people were tuned in to watch the nail-biting landings in real time — and listen to the hilariously enthusiastic play-by-play that made it feel like a sporting event. "The commentary is like a football match," broadcaster Scott Bryan observed, also pointing out the stream was getting "more than two and a half times more viewers than GB News usually gets."
Big Jet TV, according to its website, offers "live shows from airports around the U.K.," as well as shows from international airports "exclusive to First and Super Class Members." The stream went viral on Friday as the storm, Eunice, slammed Britain and Northern Europe, and according to The New York Times, it was "expected to be the worst to hit the region in 30 years."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Big Jet TV's YouTube chat was lighting up with comments during the stream, which sped by so quickly they could at some points barely be read. The stream became such a sudden hit, in fact, that a journalist could be heard trying to interview presenter Jerry Dyer about its success while he was still broadcasting.
Big Jet TV's stream remains active at this time after nearly five hours of broadcasting, and if the viewership keeps climbing, don't be shocked if more people end up watching it than next month's Oscars.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 22, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Hundreds feared dead in French Mayotte cyclone
Speed Read Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Thirteen missing after Red Sea tourist boat sinks
Speed Read The vessel sank near the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Global plastics summit starts as COP29 ends
Speed Read Negotiators gathering in South Korea seek an end to the world's plastic pollution crisis, though Trump's election may muddle the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden visits Amazon, says climate legacy irreversible
Speed Read Nobody can reverse America's 'clean energy revolution,' said the president, despite the incoming Trump administration's promises to dismantle climate policies
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
At least 95 dead in Spain flash floods
Speed Read Torrential rainfall caused the country's worst flooding since 1996
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Cuba roiled by island-wide blackouts, Hurricane Oscar
Speed Read The country's power grid collapsed for the fourth time in just two days
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Wildlife populations drop a 'catastrophic' 73%
Speed Read The decline occurred between 1970 and 2020
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Floridians flee oncoming Hurricane Milton
Speed Read The hurricane is expected to cause widespread damage in the state
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published