Democratic first night outdraws Republican opener
An estimated 26.2 million people tuned in to watch the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, according to Nielsen -- 17.7% more than watched the Republican convention last week.
First Lady Michelle Obama was the headlining speaker for the opening night of the convention in Charlotte, N.C.
A week ago Tuesday, the first night of coverage of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., 22.3 million people watched Ann Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Last Thursday, the final night of the Tampa convention, 33 million people watched Clint Eastwood and Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
Nine networks carried the hour of prime-time coverage Tuesday night: ABC, CBS, NBC, BET, CNN, PBS, Fox News, MSNBC and Current TV. NBC drew the largest audience, averaging about 5.3 million viewers. MSNBC drew 4.11 million viewers, CNN pulled in 3.9 million viewers, CBS had 3.2 million, ABC generated about 2.6 million and Fox News attracted 2.4 million.
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