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By Martha McHardy
US News Reporter
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The number of viewers who tuned in to watch the first two nights of the Republican National Convention declined this year compared to 2016, Nielsen data shows.
This year's convention is being held in Milwaukee, where Donald Trump was confirmed as the Republican Party's official nominee for the 2024 election days after he was shot in the ear at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
On the first day of this year's convention, an estimated 18.13 million viewers tuned in to watch as Trump appeared with a bandaged ear following Saturday's attempted assassination. An estimated 14.81 million viewers tuned in on the second day.
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According to Nielsen data, this year's viewership figures are down from 2016, when 23 million people tuned in to watch the first night of the convention and 19.75 million people tuned in for the second night. Viewership figures in 2020 were limited because of the pandemic.
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Some 11 networks are airing the convention, and Fox News has dominated this year's viewership figures for the second night, amassing more than 5.2 million viewers. CNN and MSNBC followed with 862,000 and 769,000, respectively, according to a Fox News report citing Nielsen data.
In the 25-54 age demographic, Fox News averaged 947,000 viewers, compared to 439,000 for NBC News, 426,000 for ABC News, 303,000 for CBS News, 286,000 for CNN and 103,000 for MSNBC.
Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University, told USA Today that viewership of conventions has declined because they have morphed into something more scripted compared to when they were not broadcast on television.
"They became giant pep rallies for both parties trying to put forth a united front in support of their nominees," Panagopoulos told the outlet. "Over that time period, we saw a corresponding decline in viewership at conventions."
The number of viewers tuning in to watch the Democratic National Convention also declined in 2020 compared to 2016, with 24.6 million people tuning in to watch the fourth night of the convention in 2020, compared to 29.8 million people in 2016, Nielsen data showed.
In comparison, 23.8 million people tuned in to watch the fourth night of the RNC in 2020, while 32.2 million watched in 2016.
Panagopoulos said that despite the declining viewership figures, conventions are still significant in this election and future elections, adding that millions of people—including undecided voters—still tune in.
"When elections are very close and decided by razor thin margins that can be consequential," Panagopoulos said. "So you can't over look that."
November's election is likely to be a close race between Trump and President Joe Biden. A poll conducted by Morning Consult of 2,045 registered voters on Monday found that Trump was leading Biden by 1 percentage point: 46 percent to the president's 45 percent. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
The final night of the RNC is set to be broadcast on Thursday, when Trump is expected to accept the party's presidential nomination.
The DNC is scheduled to take place in Chicago between August 19 and 22.
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