Television viewership for Monday's opening night of the virtual Democratic National Convention was down nearly 30 percent compared to four years ago.
Preliminary figures from Nielsen Media Research found that 18.6 million Americans tuned in, though the Biden campaign said digital views were up compared to 2016, when fewer than 26 million watched.
MSNBC drew the biggest TV audience of the cable and broadcast networks, with 5.096 million viewers tuning in from 10 p.m. to 11:15 pm ET. CNN was second with 4.777 million viewers, followed by ABC with 2.442 million, NBC with 2.282 million, Fox News with 2.099 million and CBS with 1.985 million.
The convention's programming on Monday began at 9 p.m. ET, with the same start time slated for the three remaining nights.
TJ Ducklo, national press secretary for the Biden campaign, tweeted that digital views were up from 2016 and that the campaign is "producing a digital convention, and people are watching."
NEWS: 28.9 million Americans tuned in to @DemConvention last night across TV & digital platforms, up from 2016 & shattering the previous record for digital streams, which totaled 10.2m even as numbers still come in.
— TJ Ducklo (@TDucklo) August 18, 2020
We are producing a digital convention, and people are watching.
Monday's events were hosted by "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria, with former first lady Michelle Obama
Michelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Trump, Biden set for dueling town halls amid battleground blitz Obama to stump for Biden in final campaign stretch Celebs accept Michelle Obama's challenge to assemble a #VotingSquad MORE giving the final speech of the evening.
"Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head," Obama said in her pretaped remarks, which were recorded before presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden
Joe BidenBiden: Trump 'continues to lie to us' about coronavirus Rally crowd chants 'lock him up' as Trump calls Biden family 'a criminal enterprise' Undecided voters in Arizona wary of Trump, crave stability MORE named Sen. Kamala Harris
Kamala HarrisUndecided voters in Arizona wary of Trump, crave stability Foreign policy is on the ballot in 2020; so is American credibility Perez on Biden's poll leads: Democrats 'take nothing for granted' MORE (D-Calif.) as his running mate on Aug. 10.
President Trump
Donald John TrumpPolice say man dangling off Trump Tower Chicago demanding to speak with Trump Fauci says he was 'absolutely not' surprised Trump got coronavirus after Rose Garden event Biden: Trump 'continues to lie to us' about coronavirus MORE responded on social media, calling Obama's speech "divisive."
"She was over her head, and frankly she should’ve made the speech live, which she didn't do," Trump said during a White House event commemorating the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage.
The virtual format was panned by some on both the left and the right, with former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson
Marianne WilliamsonMarianne Williamson discusses speaking at People's Party Convention Fewer people watched opening night of Democratic convention compared to 2016 Marianne Williamson: Democratic convention 'like binge watching a Marriott commercial' MORE comparing the event to "binge watching a Marriott commercial."
No I’m sorry but they did not address racism. They showed a lot of beautiful pictures of POC and made references to BLM, but there was not one mention of an actual policy to help end systemic racism. It’s like binge watching a Marriott commercial.
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) August 18, 2020
Imagine having all the awesome creative talent of Hollywood and the entertainment industry at your fingertips and nonetheless this is the convention you produce
— David Sirota (@davidsirota) August 18, 2020
This feels more like a sad telethon than a rousing call to arms. I get the limitations of the format, but man this is slow so far. Only @RepGwenMoore added 60 seconds of much-needed energy. #DemConvention
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) August 18, 2020
Former President Clinton, Jill Biden and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-CortezOVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA may violate courts with new rule extending life of unlined coal ash ponds | Trump reverses course, approving assistance for California wildfires | Climate change, national security among topics for final Trump-Biden debate Biden distances himself from Green New Deal during town hall Ocasio-Cortez, progressives call on Senate not to confirm lobbyists or executives to future administration posts MORE (D-N.Y.) are slated to speak on Tuesday night.
