DNC ratings thump Trump as 29 million TV viewers watch Harris' acceptance speech

Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign momentum significantly boosted the ratings for the Democratic National Convention, surpassing the viewership for former President Trump's Republican events.

Nielsen data revealed that Harris' widely praised acceptance speech drew 29 million viewers across 15 networks, a 14% increase compared to Trump’s speech, which attracted 25.4 million viewers on July 19. Harris’ viewership also exceeded the 24.6 million who watched Joe Biden’s acceptance speech in 2020 and was close to the 29.8 million who tuned in for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Harris' speech was notable for its brevity, clocking in at 37 minutes, whereas Trump’s speech lasted over 90 minutes and extended well past midnight on the East Coast.

This week marked a triumph for the Democratic National Convention, consistently outperforming the GOP’s event each night.

The unexpected shift of Harris to the top of the ticket, following President Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid on July 21—one of the most dramatic political turns in U.S. history—has energized Democratic voters who were discontent with the prospect of a 2020 rematch.

In her speech, Harris focused on her personal story and her tenure as a prosecutor in California. She may have also benefited from speculative rumors about surprise performances by music stars Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, which were widely discussed in the media.

The Harris campaign likely feels optimistic about the strong performance of her speech, particularly in key swing states. In Philadelphia, Harris attracted 50% more viewers than Trump, 36% more in Detroit, 31% more in Raleigh, N.C., and 21% more in Atlanta, according to Nielsen data. However, she drew 10% fewer viewers than Trump in Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention took place.

MSNBC, traditionally favored by liberal audiences, achieved its highest-ever viewership for a Democratic convention, averaging 6 million viewers on Thursday and 5.2 million viewers over the four-night event. CNN followed with an average of 3.6 million viewers, then ABC with 3.3 million, NBC with 2.5 million, CBS with 2.2 million, and Fox News with 2.4 million.

MSNBC also led in viewership among the coveted 25-to-54 age group, surpassing CNN by about 10,000 viewers—a first, as CNN had previously dominated this demographic in 2016 and 2020.

Fox News, which typically features conservative and pro-Trump commentary, made a notable effort this year by including more Democratic politicians, booking four times as many as in 2016. Nonetheless, Fox News remains less central to Democratic conventions.

After Harris' speech, Trump called into Fox News to critique it, repeatedly pressing keys on his phone while speaking with anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.

Fox News, the most-watched network for the Republican convention, averaged 6.6 million viewers over four nights and 9.8 million for the final session.

Harris' speech likely reached millions more through streaming platforms. Fox Corp.'s LiveNOW, a free streaming site, peaked at 117,000 concurrent viewers on Thursday and maintained an average of 75,000 viewers throughout the week. Although CNN did not release specific data for its live stream on Warner Bros. Discovery's Max platform, the network indicated that the convention coverage ranked among the top 10 in daily usage since the service's launch last fall.