Quick Hit:

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) saw a 22% decline in viewership compared to 2016, despite a slight increase from 2020 numbers. President Biden's late-night speech and the DNC's efforts to attract younger audiences couldn't match the engagement levels from previous years.

Key Details:

Viewership Drop: The DNC drew around 20 million viewers, down 22% from 2016, but slightly up from 2020.
Biden's Speech: President Biden's late-night speech likely impacted overall viewership, attracting 19.1 million viewers.
Network Ratings: MSNBC led viewership across networks with 4.6 million viewers, followed by CNN and ABC.

Diving Deeper:

The Democratic National Convention's opening night on Monday drew approximately 20 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings, reflecting a significant 22% drop from the 2016 convention. This decrease comes despite a slight increase from the 2020 DNC numbers.

President Joe Biden's speech, which marked his final convention address as the leader of the Democratic Party, was scheduled late on the East Coast, likely contributing to lower viewership. The speech, which aired from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET, drew around 19.1 million viewers.

The event was broadcast across 13 networks, with MSNBC leading the pack, attracting 4.6 million viewers. CNN and ABC followed with 3.2 million and 2.8 million viewers, respectively. Fox News, CBS, and NBC also pulled in significant numbers, but none reached the highs seen in past conventions.

Despite the traditional television viewership skewing older, with 76% of the audience over 55, the DNC attempted to reach younger demographics through social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The party also provided special access to over 200 social media content creators, aiming to expand its influence beyond traditional media.

The drop in viewership from 2016 highlights the challenges the DNC faces in engaging a broad audience, particularly as it competes with the RNC's high engagement numbers and strives to appeal to a younger, more digitally-native voter base.