Night 1 - July 25, 2016:
In the 10 PM hour, NBC easily topped broadcast with a 1.1 out of a 1.6 for American Ninja Warrior. That's better retention than ABC's coverage, which drew a 0.9 out of a 1.9. NBC is typically the top program for news events, and this was no exception. CBS was in last with a 0.6, but it had 100% retention from its lead-in in the 18-49 demo. In viewers, NBC's win was far narrower but again, its retention was far superior.
In the 9 and 10 PM hours, CNN destroyed the competition with a 1.34 18-49 demo average and 5.77 million viewers, beating even NBC. MSNBC, most closely aligned with the convention's speakers' ideologies, drew a 0.75 and 4.17 million viewers, while Fox News trailed with just a 0.51 and 3.38 million viewers, a step below the viewership for its O'Reilly Factor lead-in.
Night 2 - July 26, 2016:
Night two saw notably smaller ratings on most networks. The exception was NBC, where the convention rose a notch in 18-49 and about a million viewers, thanks to a big lead-in from summer juggernaut America's Got Talent. NBC's 1.2 was nearly double what ABC got for their post-Bachelorette hour, a 0.7. Things were closer in viewers, with 3.6 million for ABC vs. 5.28 million for NBC. Retention was slightly better for NBC's hour as well, with the ABC hour losing 50% of The Bachelorette. CBS remained in third, though by a smaller margin. Their hour had weaker retention than they did the night before, with a 0.5 out of a 0.7.
Once again, CNN won among the big three cable networks for their 9-11 coverage (Fox News only aired the convention at 10). However, they slipped behind NBC in both metrics this time, with their 1.13 and 5.26 million slightly behind NBC on both counts (they beat NBC on both counts in a head-to-head comparison at 10). MSNBC lose a plentiful amount, down to 0.6 and 3.47 million viewers, though the gap between them an CNN narrowed. Fox News dropped down to one hour, but that didn't help the ratings any as their viewers again had little interest in seeing Democrats speak and they dropped to just a 0.36 and 2.95 million viewers, though unlike the night before, it was the top hour on Fox News, at least in 18-49.
Night 3 - July 27, 2016:
With a far smaller lead-in, NBC's coverage dropped multiple tenths, and the network saw its slimmest margin of victory to fate. Its retention from its lead-in was far stronger this time, however, in both the 18-49 demo and in total viewers. ABC was close behind with a 0.8 and 3.54 million viewers, tying its lead-in in the 18-49 demo and growing from it in viewers, the best convention retention of the week for ABC coverage. A bit farther behind was CBS, which drew a 0.6 and 2.86 million viewers, rising from its lead-in in all metrics and posting the best retention of any network's coverage to date.
Coverage on cable news rose significantly, with CNN nearly matching the first day's totals and easily winning the night for the second time in all metrics. MSNBC beat the broadcast networks in viewers and was only a tenth behind NBC, and the gap between it and CNN remained as narrow as it was on Tuesday. Fox News was far behind once again, at nearly half of MSNBC's numbers and easily placing last.
Night 4 - July 28, 2016:
Ratings on broadcast rose notably for the convention's final night, with NBC up two tenths despite its worst lead-in of the week. It drew a 1.1 and 4.52 million viewers, up plentifully from its 0.6/2.65 million viewer lead-in, Hollywood Game Night. ABC was close behind despite also having a weak lead-in, with a 0.9 and 3.89 million viewers. Unlike NBC, ABC tied its weekly high for the final night. CBS easily drew a new high with a 0.8 for the night. Despite that, it was the worst lead-in of the week for a CBS DNC showing, losing over half of its young-skewing Big Brother lead-in in the key 18-49 demo.
CNN had the biggest night of the week, with a huge uptick to 1.68 in the 18-49 demographic and 6.66 million viewers, both easily dwarfing the first night, which previously drew the highest ratings. MSNBC was a far cry from that but also saw an uptick, with a 0.86 in the key demo and 4.82 million viewers, a much smaller rise than CNN's. Fox News stayed far behind any other network with a 0.5 and 3.02 million viewers, the only cable network not to hit a new high for the night (NBC and ABC were in similar positions).
Only time will tell how the 2020 convention will stack up to the 2016 convention ratings-wise, but one thing's for sure: a lot has changed since then. The convention will be 100% in primetime due to the COVID-19 outbreak forcing the Democrats to have a virtual convention, with fewer speakers and a tight two-hour running time. Ratings-wise, a lot has also changed. Ratings are down massive amounts from just four years ago, and the convention will see smaller lead-ins across the big three. However, cable news ratings haven't taken nearly the same hit, and Democratic debates from just last year were setting ratings records. Check back next week for a full rundown of the ratings for the 2020 convention!
