Editor’s note: Viewership figures for the second night have been updated to 20.8 million and a 12.5 household rating following a new report from Nielsen.

According to Nielsen, the second night of the Democratic National Convention attracted more viewers than the first.

The lineup on Tuesday, featuring key speeches from Michelle and Barack Obama, garnered about 20.8 million viewers, slightly up from around 20 million viewers on Monday night, Nielsen reported on Wednesday.

During Barack Obama’s speech, the average audience peaked at approximately 21.9 million viewers.

Both nights of the Democratic convention had higher viewership compared to the initial two nights of the Republican National Convention, which saw 18.1 million viewers on the first night and 14.8 million on the second, as per Nielsen’s estimates.

Although Nielsen ratings do not account for online streaming audiences, experts believe that overall viewership for conventions has been declining as they become more like predictable motivational events. However, an unexpected element can draw audiences back, with one expert previously describing the current political campaigns as “the fiercest competitive political reality shows.”

Reviewing Past RNC and DNC Ratings

Nielsen measures the percentage of households with TVs that tuned in for the convention. The data includes audience metrics across 12 television networks for Tuesday night.

The household rating for the second night of the 2024 Democratic convention was reported at 12.5.

The final day of each convention typically attracts the largest audience. Below are day-by-day Nielsen ratings from 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 View the Democratic National Convention

This year’s convention is taking place from Monday to Thursday at the United Center, the home arena of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks. Chicago has hosted the Democratic National Convention 11 times, with the last occurrence in 1996 when President Bill Clinton was re-nominated.

The convention will stream live on its official website from the United Center in Chicago from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central).