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The figure covers the 30-minute span starting
at 11:45 a.m. EST on Wednesday, when Biden took the oath of
office and delivered his inaugural address from the U.S.
Capitol. It includes the audience on broadcasters ABC, CBS and
NBC and cable channels Fox News, CNN and MSNBC.
In 2017, about 38.3 million people watched Republican Trump's
inauguration and speech on those networks. The swearing-in of
Democrat Barack Obama in 2009 as the first Black U.S. president
drew 51.2 million viewers.
Biden, Obama's vice president, became the 46th U.S. president on
Wednesday in a ceremony that included performances by Lady Gaga,
Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks. Kamala Harris made history as
she became the first Black person, first woman and first Asian
American to serve as vice president [L1N2JV05S].
The TV viewing figures do not capture people who tuned in via
digital platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube that
streamed the event live, or others who watched on television at
places outside of their homes such as bars and restaurants.
Updated figures are expected in the coming days.
CNN, owned by AT&T Inc, led all networks with nearly 10 million
viewers of Biden's ceremony. Walt Disney Co's ABC finished
second. Fox Corp's Fox News Channel ranked last among the six
major networks with 2.8 million viewers.
The ranking reflected a reversal from four years ago. Fox News,
which is popular with conservative viewers, topped all networks
for Trump's swearing-in with 11.8 million viewers, an
Inauguration Day record for a single network. CNN ranked fifth
at the time with 3.4 million.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Peter
Cooney)
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