Why Live Streams Outperformed Traditional TV on Election Night
By Movieguide® Contributor
Election night TV viewing numbers were down across the board, as many people chose to watch coverage through streaming platforms.
“On Election Day, live streams covering the election generated nearly 84 million hours of watch time — almost five times more than the viewership for the September debates,” Streams Charts reported, adding that the majority of streams — 80.6% — came from YouTube.
Fortune added, “Online video platform Rumble, often a popular pick with conservatives, came in second place with 13.1%. Fox News was the most popular broadcast streamed live on YouTube, setting a record 1.14 million peak viewers, according to Stream Charts data. NBC News trailed behind Fox, with 616, 900 peak viewers, according to the streaming report.”
In contrast, TV viewing numbers were much lower.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote that primetime coverage of the election “averaged 42.29 million viewers across 18 cable and broadcast networks from 7-11 p.m. ET,” which was a 26% decline from 2020’s election night viewing numbers.
It was also “the least watched election night since [Nielsen] began keeping total viewer tallies in 2000,” THR reported, adding, “22.6% of TV households (28.45 million) watched election coverage Tuesday, the lowest percentage ever dating to 1960.”
The network with the steepest drop-off was CNN, by 46%, but they noted that streaming service CNN Max “recorded its best day ever.”
Nazar Babenko, product manager at Streams Charts, explained to Fortune why so many are turning to live streams instead of traditional TV.
“It’s not just about watching anymore; people are actively debating and reacting in real time, reshaping election discourse in the process,” he said. “This evolution in political campaigning reflects a dynamic shift where younger audiences — often reached through popular streamers or live debates — are shaping the future of democracy, right now, both within the United States and worldwide.”
Additionally, many young people are distrustful of established media, preferring to get their news from smaller online sources.
READ MORE: DOES YOUR POLITICAL PARTY IMPACT WHERE YOU GET YOUR NEWS?
