DNC Ratings: How Many People Watched Joe Biden’s Send-Off Speech?

UPDATE (8/20 6:15 p.m.): According to Nielsen (via Variety), 20 million viewers watched the DNC’s first night across all networks. This is an increase over the 18.1 million viewers received on night one of the RNC and includes these networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, Scripps News, Univision, CNN, CNNe, FOX Business, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, Newsmax, NewsNation, and PBS

PREVIOUSLY (8/20 at 12:30 p.m.): The first night of the Democratic National Convention saw a steady stream of party voices take the stage to celebrate the party’s nominees for the 2024 general election. Newly-minted DNC presidential nominee Kamala Harris made a surprise cameo at the convention, which also featured memorable speeches from firebrand Congresswomen Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock giving a downright sermon, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the night’s closer President Joe Biden himself. The sheer bounty of speeches meant the night ran very, very long, though, and Biden’s speech went on into the wee hours of the morning for East Coast audiences. 

So how many people tuned in to see the DNC — and how many stuck around ’til the very last word from POTUS?

According to analyst Michael Mulvihill the early numbers from seven networks across 44 major metropolitan areas tally up to 11.4 million viewers from the 10 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. window. That is significantly higher than the RNC’s first night, which drew 9.4 million from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

“That DNC lead will likely narrow in the final national viewership and could even be erased, though that seems unlikely,” Mulvihill wrote of the first overnight figures.

Related

How to Watch the 2024 DNC & What to Expect

In total, the first night of the Republican National Convention drew in 18.13 million viewers, which was a 21 percent drop from 2016 but an increase from 2020. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s speech, which took place on the final day of the RNC, was watched by 23 million viewers.

This post will be updated when final ratings numbers from the DNC are revealed.