Democratic Convention Viewership Tumbles 24% on First Night
- Some 19.7 million people watched debut, down from 25.9 million
- Biden campaign says total with digital viewers edged out 2016
This article is for subscribers only.
The first night of the Democratic National Convention drew about a quarter fewer viewers on major broadcast and cable news networks, as the virtual event proved a tougher sell than the traditional live gathering four years ago.
About 19.7 million people tuned in to Monday night’s coverage, a decline from 25.9 million four years ago, the media-monitoring company Nielsen said Monday. Comcast Corp.’s MSNBC led all broadcast and cable coverage with an audience of nearly 5.2 million from 10 p.m. to around 11:15 p.m. New York time, according to data supplied by the networks.