RNC's 1st night draws a smaller TV audience than the DNC's

The first night of Republicans' 2020 convention failed to draw as large of a television audience as Democrats' — and both events lost millions of viewers compared to four years ago.

Nielsen on Tuesday said that the first night of the Republican National Convention on Monday drew an average television audience of about 15.8 million people between 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m, The New York Times reports. This is compared to the average of 18.7 million people who watched the first night of the Democratic convention, per Reuters.

Viewership for the Democratic convention's first night had been down 28 percent compared to the party's 2016 convention, and for the Republican convention, viewership was down about 30 percent, per The Hollywood Reporter. These numbers take into account those who watched the conventions on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

One network had a great night, though, as the Times notes that nearly half of the 15.8 million RNC viewers were watching via Fox News, giving the network its highest-rated opening night of a convention.

The viewership figures from Nielsen don't include those who watched the conventions on streaming, which has become an increasingly popular viewing option. Still, The Washington Post's Matt Viser notes that given President Trump's obsession with TV ratings, these numbers may not "sit well" with him.