TPM2012

Biden Speech Most Watched Of The 2012 Conventions

David Taintor September 21, 2012, 11:34 AM

The numbers are in, and the title of most watched speech of either party’s national convention this year belongs to Vice President Joe Biden.

Nielsen estimates that there are roughly 289.7 million TV viewers in the United States. Of those viewers, 14.7 percent watched Biden’s speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

President Obama came in second with 13.7 percent. Mitt Romney ranked third with 12.5 percent. And former President Bill Clinton came in fourth with 10.9 percent.

Nielsen’s analysis found that roughly 57 percent of U.S. households tuned in to at least one of the conventions. That’s about 65.4 million homes. More people watched the conventions in 2008, when 64.5 percent of U.S. households tuned in, according to Nielsen.

Here’s how the speeches broke down:

Biden: 14.7 percent

Obama: 13.7 percent

Romney: 12.5 percent

Clinton: 10.9 percent

Sen. Marco Rubio: 10.4 percent

Clint Eastwood: 9.9 percent

Michelle Obama: 9.6 percent

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro: 8.9 percent

Paul Ryan: 8.8 percent

Ann Romney: 7.7 percent

To be sure, the speakers weren’t competing head to head for audience but against other programming on at the same time. Clinton, for example, competed with the NFL season-opener between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. Even so, Clinton had more viewers than the game, according to Nielsen’s numbers.

See the full results here.

David Taintor

David Taintor is TPM’s News Editor. He contributes to TPM’s Livewire coverage, among other areas. David is from Chanhassen, Minnesota, where, yes, it gets very cold. Reach him at taintor [at] talkingpointsmemo.com