The 2020 Democratic Convention kicked off on Monday, marking a less-than-fantastic start for the Democrats following disappointing viewership ratings. For the first time ever, the entire convention was broadcasted digitally as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a reality across the United States.
Roughly 18.7 million people tuned in to see prominent Democrats deliver politically impassioned rhetoric to an undecided public.
In contrast, the 2016 convention drew roughly 26 million television viewers during the same period. This equates to a 27% to 28% dip in viewers across broadcast and cable news networks according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Broadcast networks such as ABC and NBC took the biggest blow, showing a 42% decrease in viewers. CNN led the pack with 4.82 million viewers, about 1.52 million of them within the key adult demographic of 25-54, roughly 1.52 million.
While traditional television viewership dropped massively, over 10.2 million people tuned in via streaming networks.
The Biden campaign has been quick to point out that the total number of viewers on both television and streaming networks roughly equals the viewership numbers for 2016, countering the assertion that the 2020 convention never even left the gate.
NEWS: 28.9 million Americans tuned in to @DemConvention last night across TV & digital platforms, up from 2016 & shattering the previous record for digital streams, which totaled 10.2m even as numbers still come in.
We are producing a digital convention, and people are watching.
— TJ Ducklo (@TDucklo) August 18, 2020
Monday marked the beginning of the week-long 2020 Democratic Convention where Democrats roll out all the stops in an effort to sway voters to the Biden/Harris ticket ahead of November.
It is quite plausible to assume viewership ratings will increase as we get through the week.
The speaker list for Wednesday includes Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, President Obama, and VP nominee Kamala Harris.
Presidential candidate Joe Biden is set to speak on Thursday, the final day of the 2020 Democratic Convention.
Overall, the 2020 convention has proven to be a blessing in disguise for Republicans, who almost surely will target online stream viewers, which have skyrocketed in comparison to 2016.
If Republicans have their eye on the ball, the 2020 Republican Convention will channel all of the successes of the 2020 Democratic Convention and avoid its flubs.
Nonetheless, Democrats are wading through murky waters, hastily attempting to connect with undecided voters in a purely digital way, a big change for folks who are used to giving lots of handshakes on the campaign trail.
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