According to early Nielsen figures, the inauguration of President Joe Biden gained more spectators than President Donald Trump’s 2017 ceremony, and saw a reversal of fortunes for some of the country’s most watched cable news outlets.
According to Nielsen, about 39.87 million people watched the half-hour swearing-in ceremony over the six largest TV news outlets in the country, compared to 38.35 million viewers for the 2017 event. The 2021 figure represents an increase of about 4% over its predecessor in 2017.
CNN’s coverage averages 9.9 million for the crucial half hour, which gives the lead. The AT&T-backed cable news network said the numbers are the largest audience it has achieved for an inaugural broadcast in its history.
ABC News’ coverage attracts the second largest audience, averaging 7.66 million, followed by NBC News, with 6.89 million; MSNBC, with nearly 6.53 million; CBS News, with nearly 6.07 million; and Fox News Channel, with 2.74 million.
The numbers are preliminary and may change after Nielsen puts a wider range of viewing sources on a table.
The rating figures indicate more than just strong interest in a new commander-in-chief after a turbulent period in the United States. CNN’s inauguration audience increased and increased from just 3.375 million in 2017 – a jump of more than 196%. Meanwhile, the Fox News Channel’s audience for the event dropped by 11.76 million in 2017 – a tumble of almost 77%. Just as CNN did in 2021, Fox News set a record for the inaugural audience in 2017 over the course of a day.
Wider coverage has shown similar trends. About 29.45 million people tuned in to the six networks for six hours between 11:00 and 16:00 yesterday, compared to 27.08 million in 2017 – an increase of almost 9%.
In 2021, CNN’s coverage won the most viewers, averaging 7.74 million, followed by ABC News at 5.37 million and MSNBC at nearly 5.33 million.
Fox News’ coverage dominated the day in 2017, averaging 8.77 million, while MSNBC’s coverage attracted the least, averaging nearly 1.38 million. CNN’s coverage in 2017 attracted an average of 2.61 million.