CNN No. 1 Network For Inauguration

Nothing illustrates the political passions of a television network’s audience quite like ratings for a presidential inaugural, according to The Associated Press.

The 6.53 million people who watched President Joe Biden take the oath of office and deliver his inaugural address on MSNBC Wednesday was a whopping 338% bigger than its audience for Donald Trump’s swearing in four years ago, the Nielsen company said.

On the flip side, Fox News Channel’s audience of 2.74 million for Biden on Wednesday represented a nearly 77% drop from its viewership for Trump in 2017, Nielsen said.

A preliminary Nielsen estimate shows Biden’s inaugural viewership on the top six networks beat Trump by 4%. Nielsen said it doesn’t have a complete estimate for inaugural viewing because it is still counting people who watched on other networks or outside their homes.

According to TV Newser, here are those Nielsen fast national numbers:

Total Viewers / Adults 25-54 (11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. ET)

1. CNN: 9,994,000 / 3,509,000
2. ABC: 7,655,000 / 2,415,000
3. NBC: 6,885,000 / 2,343,000
4. MSNBC: 6,528,000 / 1,638,000
5. CBS: 6,068,000 / 1,438,000
6. Fox News: 2,742,000 / 521,000
7. Univision: 1,500,000 / 560,000