An estimated 48 million people tuned in to watch Donald Trump’s first address to a Joint Session of Congress (the traditional first-term equivalent of the State of the Union) in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017.
While coverage varied by network, 11 aired live coverage from approximately 9:00 p.m. ET to 10:15 p.m. ET.
In terms of the social nature of the address, the most-Tweeted minute of the night was at 10:04 p.m. ET when 21,000 Twitter interactions occurred after the audience applauded the widow of a fallen Navy SEAL.
The chart below highlights the sum of the average audience for these networks.
| Sum of Networks Live + Same Day | ||
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 28, 2017 | ||
| Rating | Number of Viewers | |
| All Households | 28.7 | 33,857,000 |
| Persons 2+ | 15.9 | 47,741,000 |
| Persons 18-34 | 6.5 | 4,594,000 |
| Persons 35-54 | 15.4 | 12,392,000 |
| Persons 55+ | 31.9 | 28,307,000 |
| Source: Nielsen, NNTV, Summary file for Presidential address 02/28/17 based on program average for Broadcast and originator with strict daypart averages for common coverage times for cable (9:00 pm-10:15 pm) |
2017 Networks Included: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, UNI, PBS, CNN, Fox Business Net, FOXNC, MSNBC, and NBC Universo
| Date | HH Rating (% of U.S. TV Households Tuned) | No. of Households | No. of Persons 2+ | President |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/24/2009 | 32.5 | 37,185,000 | 52,373,000 | Barack Obama |
| 2/27/2001 | 27.6 | 28,201,000 | 39,793,000 | George W. Bush |
| 2/17/1993 | 44.3 | 41,200,000 | 66,900,000 | Bill Clinton |
| Note: 2/17/93, 2/27/01 and 2/24/09 officially the “Address to the Joint Sessions of Congress” |
2009 Networks Included: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TEL, UNI, CNBC, CNN, FOXNC, and MSNBC
2001 Networks Included: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, and MSNBC
1993 Networks Included: ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN
