(Reuters) -Preliminary television ratings data show that more than 19 million people watched Thursday’s primetime hearing by House of Representatives lawmakers probing the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, the New York Times reported on Friday.
The numbers from the Nielsen ratings agency are expected to grow later on Friday when additional networks and out-of-home viewership is included, the Times said.
The initial tally ranks below other political events such as this year’s State of the Union address, which pulled in 38 million viewers, but higher than other congressional hearings.
The first televised hearing of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump, for example, attracted about 14 million viewers on 10 networks in 2019.
Nielsen’s television ratings do not capture the broad range of live streaming options across social media.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)
