Democratic Convention Edges Out Republican Convention in Viewership Numbers

Strategic Insights -

The Democratic Party claimed a major victory in the viewership battle of the 2020 presidential election conventions. According to early Nielsen data, Joe Biden's acceptance speech drew in 21.8 million total viewers, surpassing President Trump's lengthy address on Thursday, which brought in 19.85 million viewers. The Democratic convention averaged over 20 million total viewers per night in the 10 p.m. spotlight viewing hour, compared to 17.4 million for the Republican convention.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Democratic convention averaged 20 million total viewers per night in the 10 p.m. spotlight viewing hour, compared to 17.4 million for the Republican convention.
  • Joe Biden's acceptance speech drew in 21.8 million total viewers, while President Trump's speech brought in 19.85 million viewers.
  • The Democratic convention experienced a 21.6 percent drop in viewership compared to 2016, while the Republican convention experienced a 28.9 percent drop.
  • Fox News dominated the Republican convention, averaging 7.8 million total viewers during the 10 p.m. hour, while MSNBC and CNN topped the Democratic convention.
  • The politics-heavy cable news networks, like Fox News and CNN, mostly defeated the broadcast news networks for convention coverage, even though broadcast's nightly news shows usually draw far more viewers.
  • The 2020 conventions were significantly down from the 2008 conventions, where over 38 million viewers tuned in for speeches by Barack Obama and John McCain.
  • Mark Lukasiewicz, the head of Hofstra University's school of communication, praised the Democratic convention, saying it was "surprisingly successful as a television event," while Robert Thompson, a Syracuse University television scholar, likened it to "a 1970s variety show" due to its mix of formats.
  • The real measure of a convention's success, Thompson said, is ultimately the votes of the people, not the ratings.

Statistics:

  • Democratic convention average viewership per night: 20 million
  • Republican convention average viewership per night: 17.4 million
  • Total viewers for Joe Biden's acceptance speech: 21.8 million
  • Total viewers for President Trump's speech: 19.85 million
  • Viewership drop for Democratic convention: 21.6%
  • Viewership drop for Republican convention: 28.9%
  • Over 38 million viewers tuned in for 2008 speeches by Barack Obama and John McCain

Sources:

  • [Nielsen data, as announced by the ratings firm on Friday](https://www.nielsen.com/)
  • [ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, CNN and MSNBC](https://www.abc.com/, https://www.cbs.com/, https://www.nbc.com/, https://www.foxnews.com/, https://www.cnn.com/, https://www.msnbc.com/)
  • [Hofstra University's school of communication](https://www.hofstra.edu/)
  • [Syracuse University](https://www.syr.edu/)
  • [Robert Thompson, Syracuse University television scholar](https://www.syr.edu)
  • [Mark Lukasiewicz, Hofstra University's school of communication](https://www.hofstra.edu)