Topline
Greater than 20 million people tuned into Thursday night’s prime-time January 6 committee hearing, in keeping with Nielsen data, during which quite a few details concerning the riot and attempts to overturn the 2020 election were made public for the primary time.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) speaks during a January 6 committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington … [+]
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
In accordance with The Hill, ABC’s broadcast drew the most important audience, with 4.8 million viewers, followed by NBC with 3.5 million and CBS with 3.3 million.
On cable news networks, MSNBC’s broadcast reportedly reached 4.1 million viewers, while CNN drew 2.6 million.
Fox didn’t broadcast the hearing in all markets, while Fox News didn’t show testimony—the news channel as an alternative ran its normal nightly lineup of shows hosted by Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, who’ve sharply criticized the committee’s investigation.
Fox News still reportedly drew around 3 million viewers through the 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT slot during which the hearing took place.
Most viewers who watched the hearing remained tuned in for all the time, in keeping with a Latest York Times review of Nielsen data.
Surprising Fact
The viewership figures topped broadcasts of the three NBA Finals games thus far this month. All three games reportedly averaged fewer than 12 million viewers.
Key Background
The committee had long hyped Thursday’s hearing, promising shocking latest details about how the attack on the Capitol transpired and former President Donald Trump’s connection to the rioters. Among the many revelations were that Trump allegedly told staffers he had no problems with calls to lynch former Vice President Mike Pence, that Ivanka Trump doubted her father’s fraud claims and that “multiple” members of Congress asked for pardons after the rioting.
Further Reading
Jan. 6 Committee Hearing: Riot Defendants Say Trump ‘Asked’ Them To Storm Capitol (Forbes)
