USA

First night of virtual Democratic convention draws 19.7 million viewers on 10 U.S. TV networks

cde.news desk 19 August 2020, 17:00 · 1 min read

Democratic 2020 presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden is seen in a video feed from Delaware after winning the votes to become the Democratic Party?s 2020 nominee for president during the second night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention as seen at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, 18 August 2020. EPA-EFE/BRIAN SNYDER / POOL

A total of 19.7 million people watched the first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention on 10 U.S. TV networks on Monday, down from the 26 million who watched the opening night of the convention in 2016, according to final Nielsen figures.

The convention, originally scheduled for Milwaukee, is being held virtually for the first time because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers are appearing live from locations across the country and in prerecorded videos.

Former first lady Michelle Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders, a former presidential contender, were among the key speakers rallying support for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris.

Obama and Sanders also spoke on the first night of the 2016 convention, which nominated Hillary Clinton for president.

Monday’s ratings represented people watching across 10 broadcast and cable networks from about 10 p.m. EDT to 11:15 p.m. EDT. They did not include online and streaming viewers.

The Biden campaign said on Tuesday that 28.9 million Americans watched the convention across TV and digital platforms, including 10.2 million digital streams, up from nearly 3 million digital streams in 2016.