DNC TV Ratings Compared to the RNC

More than 20 million people tuned in to watch the first night of the Democratic National Convention, beating the opener for the Republican National Convention in July.

Several top Democrats, including nominee and vice president Kamala Harris, current President Joe Biden, and Barack and Michelle Obama, have taken to the stage in Chicago over the course of the convention so far, as the race for the White House against Republican Donald Trump continues.

Data compiled by TV ratings company Nielsen shows the 2024 opener beats the opening day of the 2020 DNC, when Biden was running for president, which had an audience of 19.7 million. It also surpasses the number of households who watched the opening night of the RNC, hosted in Wisconsin earlier this year, when there were 18.1 million.

However, real viewership figures may be higher than this, as Neilsen data incorporates only broadcasters and not streaming services. It compiles viewership across ABC, CBS, NBC, Scripps News, Univision, CNN, CNNe, FOX Business, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Newsmax, NewsNation and PBS.

While the DNC continues, it remains to be seen if the final night will top that of the RNC, when 25.4 million tuned in, with a peak of 28.4 million viewers during Trump’s speech in the 10:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. window.

In 2020, 24.6 million opted to watch the final night of the DNC, when Biden made his speech. Harris will wrap up the convention on Thursday evening, as is traditional at national conventions, and will formally accept the nomination to be the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential candidate. On Wednesday, her vice president pick, Tim Walz, will do the same.

Harris has already appeared on the stage at Chicago’s United Center and McCormick Place to introduce Biden. The president abandoned his run for a second term in the White House on July 21 after a disastrous debate performance.

After being introduced by Harris and his daughter Ashley, Joe Biden said it had been the “honor of my lifetime to serve as your president.”

Talking about his decision to step down, he added: “I love the job, but I love my country more. All this talk about how I’m angry at all those people (who) said I should step down, that’s not true. I love my country more, and we need to preserve our democracy in 2024.”

On Tuesday, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama also put their firm support behind Harris.

The former president said: “In this new economy, we need a president who actually cares about the millions of people all across this country who wake up every day to do the essential, often thankless work to care for our sick and clean our streets and deliver our packages; and stand up for their right to bargain for better wages and working conditions. Kamala will be that president.”