Viewership for Kamala Harris' 2024 DNC speech peaked at 28.9 million
An estimated 26.2 million viewers tuned in to the final night of the Democratic National Convention, where Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the presidential nomination, according to Nielsen. Viewership peaked at 28.9 million Thursday during the conclusion of Harris' speech.
The four-day event in Chicago drew TV audiences of at least 20 million every day. Nielsen estimated that 20 million people tuned in on Monday, followed by 20.8 million on Tuesday and 20.2 million on Wednesday. Nielsen only captures the TV audience not the audience streaming online.
By comparison, the final night of the Republican National Convention drew an average audience of 25.4 million viewers and peaked at 28.4 million viewers during the conclusion of former President Donald Trump's speech, who accepted the nomination at Fiserv Forum on July 18, just days after an assassination attempt on his life.
The first night of the RNC drew an audience of 18.1 million. The second night drew 14.8 million and jumped back up to 18 million on the third night.
Convention viewership has been waning over recent decades, but experts anticipated a small bump for this year's convention due to the tumultuous election cycle.