Election Night 2024 Coverage Draws 42.3 Million Viewers, Down Over 25% From 2020

As an ardent cinephile and longtime observer of American politics, this election night viewing felt more like a rerun than a new release. The drop in viewership from 2020 seems to indicate that perhaps the public is growing weary of these high-stakes dramas. Yet, I must admit, the suspense was still palpable as we waited for the final votes to be counted.


Around 42.3 million people watched the prime-time broadcast of the 2024 U.S. Presidential election on Tuesday evening, as suggested by Nielsen’s data. The total rating for the night was 13.3, which equates to roughly 28.45 million households.

The viewing period is approximately 7-11 p.m. Eastern Time and spans across a total of 18 networks which include: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, The CW, Merit Street Media, Scripps News, Telemundo, Univision, CNBC, CNN, CNNe, FOX News Channel, FOX Business Network, MSNBC, Newsmax, NewsNation, and PBS.

The network coverage in 2020 attracted around 56.9 million viewers, but this year’s viewership has dropped significantly, roughly 26%. There are undoubtedly several reasons for this decrease, one being that many people were still under lockdown due to COVID-19 during the 2020 election.

According to Nielsen’s data, it was the over-55 age group that attracted the most viewers, with approximately 24.35 million out of a total 42.3 million watching. Those aged between 35 and 54 made up the second largest audience, with around 11.4 million viewers, while the 18-34 demographic accounted for about 4.38 million viewers.

In contrast to anticipations that it could take several days for all election results to be officially tallied, Donald Trump, a former U.S. President, was surprisingly announced as the winner during early hours of Wednesday. He secured victories in several crucial states, which added up to the 270 electoral votes required to outperform his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Later on Wednesday, Harris acknowledged defeat in the race, delivering her concession speech at Howard University’s campus in Washington D.C.

She emphasized that it’s essential to acknowledge the outcome of this election. A cornerstone of American democracy lies in conceding defeat when we lose an election. Although I understand that many people may feel we’re heading towards a challenging period, I fervently hope that this isn’t so for the well-being of everyone involved.

Read More

2024-11-07 02:17