Over 20 Million Viewers Watched the 2024 DNC Opening Night, Reports Nielsen
According to a press release from Nielsen, over 20 million viewers tuned in for the first night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
The convention began on Monday evening in Chicago, featuring a surprise appearance by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, with President Joe Biden concluding the night by celebrating his achievements in a speech.
Viewership for the opening night was slightly higher compared to the 2020 DNC opening night, which gathered 19.75 million viewers, a decrease caused by the pandemic’s restrictions on in-person events, as per Nielsen’s statistics. Additionally, it attracted nearly 2 million more viewers than the first night of the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC), according to the same data.
Even though Nielsen ratings do not include those who streamed the event online, experts observe a declining trend in convention viewership as they largely resemble predictable pep rallies. However, the element of surprise could bring audiences back, with one expert describing this election’s campaigns as the “most intense competitive political reality shows.”
Review of Previous RNC and DNC Viewership Ratings
Nielsen calculates convention viewership by measuring the percentage of households with TVs that tuned in, gathering data from 13 television networks.
The household rating for the inaugural night of the 2024 DNC stood at 12, according to the release from Nielsen.
The final night of conventions typically sees the highest number of viewers. Below are the Nielsen ratings for the recent conventions broken down by day:
2024 RNC
- 2024 RNC Day 4Â – 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 4Â – 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 4Â – 15.6
- 2020 DNC Day 3 – 14.6
- 2020 DNC Day 2 – 12.6
- 2020 DNC Day 1 – 12.7
Watching the Democratic National Convention
The convention is scheduled to take place from Monday to Thursday this week at the United Center, the home venue for the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks. Chicago has hosted the Democratic Convention 11 times in the past, with the last occurrence in 1996 when President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second term at the United Center.
Viewers can catch the event live on its official website from the United Center in Chicago, airing from 6:15 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time (5:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central time) on Monday, and from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central) on the other days.
YSL News will provide live coverage on YouTube each night of the DNC, from Monday through Thursday.
