Michael Jackson's estate counterprogramming Leaving Neverland by posting concert films on YouTube

Slate

The four-hour HBO documentary topped Twitter's worldwide trends Sunday night, but that didn't stop the Michael Jackson estate from trying to offer a distraction. On Sunday night, while Part 1 of Leaving Neverland was airing, Jackson's Twitter account announced that the 1992 concert film Michael Jackson Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour was now available for streaming on YouTube. As Matthew Dessem points out, "Michael Jackson Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour isn’t just any Michael Jackson concert special—it’s the very HBO special that forms the basis of the Jackson estate’s $100 million lawsuit against the network. (While making the special back in 1992, HBO executives signed a contract with Jackson that contained a non-disparagement clause that the estate says should bar them from airing Leaving Neverland.) The rights to the special seem to have reverted to the estate—although Sony released a DVD in the mid-aughts, if you buy the special on iTunes today it comes from 'MJJ Productions,' Jackson’s company—so there’s no takedown notice coming." On Monday, while Part 2 of the documentary is airing, Jackson's estate promised to drop the 1988 concert film Michael Jackson: Live at Wembley Stadium on YouTube. ALSO: Leaving Neverland divides Twitter.