Livestream viewership from C-SPAN’s coverage of the first night of the Republican National Convention was almost six times higher than that of the Democratic National Convention.
TV ratings released from Nielsen Media Research Tuesday show that nearly 440,000 people watched C-SPAN”s Republican convention livestream Monday night compared to a viewership total of only 76,000 viewers for the Democratic convention’s opening night a week earlier, according to the Hill.
About 15.8 million people watched the Republican National Convention Monday night across all six major outlets compared to 18.7 million for the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, according to Nielsen.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s speech to close out the Democratic convention on Thursday was seen by 21.8 million people, which was the most watched event from that convention. However, it represented a 21% drop from Hillary Clinton’s nomination acceptance speech in 2016 and a 38% drop from Trump’s acceptance speech that same year.
Speakers at the Democratic convention’s opening night included Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former first lady Michelle Obama, and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, while Monday’s Republican convention featured South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the president’s son Donald Trump Jr., and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Republicans continue their convention on Tuesday night, and the scheduled speakers include first lady Melania Trump, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
President Trump is expected to appear each night at the convention, including on Thursday when he will give a speech accepting his presidential nomination.
