Overview

• BBC Two will air over six hours of extended Live Aid highlights in two parts on July 12, complemented by the iPlayer documentary Live Aid at 40 featuring exclusive interviews with Bob Geldof, Bono and Sting.
• CNN premieres Live Aid: When Rock ’n’ Roll Took on the World on July 13, revealing behind-the-scenes accounts from Geldof, Bono, promoter Harvey Goldsmith and Queen’s Roger Taylor.
• Commemoration events have reignited scrutiny of the 1985 concert’s lineup, noting its lack of African performers and minimal female representation despite raising around £150 million.
• Analysts and participants credit Live Aid with inspiring benefit events like Farm Aid and Live 8 and influencing initiatives such as PEPFAR, while debating how its mass broadcast model translates to today’s digital media.
• Bob Geldof and cultural commentators reflect on the challenge of replicating Live Aid’s unifying rock-driven ethos in an era defined by fragmented social media platforms.