President Joe Biden’s inauguration won more viewers than President Donald Trump’s ceremony in 2017, according to early Nielsen figures, and saw a turnaround in the fortunes of some of the country’s most watched cable news.
Approximately 39.87 million people watched the half-hour inauguration ceremony on the country’s six main TV news channels, according to Nielsen, compared to 38.35 million viewers at the 2017 event. The number of 2021 represents an increase of approximately 4% over its 2017 predecessor.
CNN’s coverage captured an average of 9.9 million in the crucial half hour, leading the group. The cable news network supported by AT&T said the figures represent the largest audience it has garnered for an inaugural broadcast in its history.
ABC News coverage attracted the second largest audience, an average of 7.66 million, followed by NBC News, with 6.89 million; MSNBC, with almost 6.53 million; CBS News, with almost 6.07 million; and Fox News, with 2.74 million.
The figures are preliminary and may change after Nielsen has tabulated a wide range of viewing sources.
Classification numbers suggest more than just a robust interest in a new commander-in-chief after a tumultuous period in the United States. CNN’s opening audience increased, from a mere 3.375 million in 2017 – a jump of more than 196%. Meanwhile, Fox News Channel’s audience for the event fell from 11.76 million in 2017 – a drop of almost 77%. Just as CNN did in 2021, Fox News set a record opening audience in 2017 over the course of a day.
Wider coverage showed similar trends. Approximately 29.45 million people tuned in to the six networks between 11 am and 4 pm yesterday, compared with 27.08 million in 2017 – an increase of almost 9%.
In 2021, CNN’s coverage won the majority of viewers, an average of 7.74 million, followed by ABC News with 5.37 million and MSNBC with almost 5.33 million.
Fox News coverage dominated the day in 2017, earning an average of 8.77 million, while MSNBC coverage attracted the minimum, an average of almost 1.38 million. CNN’s coverage in 2017 attracted an average of 2.61 million.