Sara Fischer: Convention ratings up from 2020, down from 2016

This piece is by WWSG exclusive thought leader, Sara Fischer. 

Ratings for the RNC and DNC were up from the pandemic-era conventions in 2020, but they were down significantly from 2016, per Nielsen.

Why it matters: Even with all of this election cycle’s unexpected twists and turns, nothing comes close to the ratings bonanzas that were set off during Barack Obama’s and Donald Trump’s first national contests.

Zoom in: Fewer viewers watched the RNC on average across all four nights this year (19.1 million) compared to the DNC (21.8 million).

• The highest-rated moment of the RNC was former President Trump’s speech, which drew 28.4 million viewers from 10:45 to 11 p.m. ET, the point at which he recounted the assassination attempt against him.
• The highest-rated moment of the DNC was Vice President Harris’ speech, which drew 28.9 million viewers from 10:31 p.m. to 11:11 p.m. ET.

Between the lines: Convention viewership was not only divided heavily along party lines, but partisan networks set new records.

• Fox News drew the most viewers across all major cable and broadcast news channels all four nights of the RNC. It set a new record for the most number of viewers for a single cable channel during the final night of the RNC with 10.4 million people watching during the 10:00 p.m. ET hour.
• MSNBC drew the most viewers across all major cable and broadcast news channels all four nights of the DNC, its most-watched convention in network history.

The big picture: Live television ratings for most major political events have waned in recent years amid a broader transition to digital.

• The vast majority of viewers across all four nights of the RNC and DNC were over the age of 55.

What to watch: Both Republicans and Democrats tried to expand their reach to younger audiences by inviting internet influencers and creators to their respective conventions, but it’s unclear exactly how many people watched the convention, or clips of it, on social media.