(Bloomberg) — An estimated 19 million people watched live prime-time broadcasts of Congressional hearings into the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol, according to early audience numbers released Friday.
CNN, MSNBC, CBS and ABC all aired the investigative hearing live Thursday evening. NBC News devoted a special report to the hearing while its online services, Peacock and NBC News NOW, streamed it.
The audience numbers are preliminary and are subject to revision. The total number of viewers who watched the hearing across all participating networks may be released later Friday.
Still, they offer a measure of how interested the American public is in the investigation into Trump’s effort to overturn the election. By comparison, the audience fell far short of President Donald Trump’s chaotic first debate with Joe Biden in 2020, which drew 73.1 million viewers.
The hearing portrayed then-President Trump’s effort to subvert his election loss. Among other testimony, it featured Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, and the president’s daughter Ivanka saying they didn’t believe the election was stolen.
The Fox News Channel relegated the hearings to other platforms like its website, Fox News Audio and Fox Business Network. Instead, the most-watched cable network stuck with regular prime-time hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, who scorned the hearings as a political attack on former President Trump.
Read more: Fox debates Jan. 6 significance while US watches bloody video
ABC drew the largest audience among the broadcast networks, with 4.9 million viewers, according to data released by the networks. MSNBC led cable outlets with an audience of 4.2 million. Nearly 3 million tuned in for Fox News’ regular programming that aired at the same time as the hearing.
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack has planned at least six sessions and hired James Goldston, a former president of ABC News, to help with the presentation.
Even with the help of a veteran TV executive, the House committee faced a challenge in drawing a large audience. The media landscape has fractured across TV, streaming and social media, and people have more entertainment options than ever.
In addition, ESPN carried an NHL conference final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers.
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