Day four of the Democratic National Convention featured the acceptance speech by nominee Sen. Barack Obama. The convention was carried live during prime time on ten networks – ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, BET, TV One, Univision and Telemundo. Coverage varied by network, all ten aired live coverage from approximately 10-11PM (ET). The final night drew the largest audience so far for the Democrats (24.5% of all American homes), eclipsing the audience reach the three previous evenings.
The speech by Sen. Obama was the fifth most-viewed, non-sports program among African American households in the last 11 years.
Highest Rated Programs Among African Americans 1997-2008
Viewers age 2+ (Sports Not Included)
| Rank | Program | Date | Network | African American Rating | African American Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MICHAEL JACKSON 30TH ANN. | 11/13/01 | CBS | 24.7 | 8,135,436 |
| 2 | NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK: The Temptations Pt. 2 | 11/2/98 | NBC | 23.6 | 7,539,709 |
| 3 | PRIMETIME SP EDITION-12/4: Whitney Houston | 12/4/02 | ABC | 22.1 | 7,443,277 |
| 4 | OPRAH WINFREY PRESENTS: The Wedding Pt. 2 | 2/23/98 | ABC | 21.6 | 6,748,990 |
| 5 | DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION | 8/28/08 | 10 Networks | 21 | 7,752,424 |
* Persons ratings for African American, Hispanic are % of African American/ Hispanic persons age 2+ in TV homes watching the convention coverage. 2008 Networks Included: Days 1, 2, 3 – ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, BET, TV One Day 4 – ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, BET, TV One, Univision, Telemundo 2004 Networks Included: Days 1, 3, 4 – ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC Day 2 – CNN, FOX News, MSNBC. ABC, CBS, NBC regularly scheduled programs.
Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings in The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the National Review, CBS News, the Boston Herald, and Variety.
