Obama brings small bump to Democratic National Convention audience, Nielsen data shows
Editor's note: The viewership numbers for the second night have been updated to 20.8 million viewers and a 12.5 household rating after an updated release from Nielsen.
More viewers tuned in for the second night of the Democratic National Convention than the first night, according to Nielsen
Tuesday's lineup, which included keynote speeches from Michelle and Barack Obama, drew an estimated audience of nearly 20.8 million viewers compared to approximately 20 million viewers Monday night, Nielsen said in a release Wednesday.
Nielsen's viewership numbers are averages across networks' event coverage, and while Barack Obama was speaking, that average was up to 21.9 million viewers.
Both nights of the Democratic convention saw bigger audiences than the first two nights of the Republican National Convention, where Nielsen estimated the first night's audience was 18.1 million and the second night's audience was 14.8 million.
While Nielsen ratings do not capture those who streamed online, experts still say viewership of conventions has been waning as they turn into predictable pep rallies. Still, audience can come back with an element of something unexpected, and one expert previously told USA TODAY this season's campaigns are the "fiercest competing political reality shows."
Democratic convention live updates: What time does the DNC start? What's the speaker lineup?
Looking back at previous RNC and DNC ratings
For convention audience, Nielsen measures the percentage of television-owning households that tuned in. The data captures audience from 12 television networks for Tuesday night.
The household ratings for the second night of the 2024 Democratic convention was 12.5, Nielsen's release stated.
The final day of the conventions usually draw the most viewers. Here are the day-by-day Nielsen ratings for the recent conventions:
2024 RNC
2024 RNC Day 4 - 14.3
2024 RNC Day 3 - 10.6
2024 RNC Day 2 - 8.9
2024 RNC Day 1 - 10.6
2020 RNC
2020 RNC Day 4 - 14.7
2020 RNC Day 3 - 11.0
2020 RNC Day 2 - 12.2
2020 RNC Day 1 - 10.7
2020 DNC
2020 DNC Day 4 - 15.6
2020 DNC Day 3 - 14.6
2020 DNC Day 2 - 12.6
2020 DNC Day 1 - 12.7
How to watch the Democratic National Convention
The convention is taking place Monday through Thursday this week at the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, will be the main venue for the DNC. Chicago has hosted the Democratic Convention 11 times, most recently in 1996 when the United Center saw President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second time.
The convention will air live on its website, from the United Center in Chicago between 7 p.m to 11 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central).
USA TODAY will provide livestream coverage on YouTube each night of the DNC, Monday through Thursday.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DNC Night 2 ratings: Obama brings more than 21 million viewers
