• by Wayne Friedman , July 29, 2016

The Democratic National Convention's final night posted some of the best TV ratings for all broadcast and cable networks -- as well as pulling in $25.8 million in total national advertising.

Cable networks spent $18.1 million collectively on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC for their early fringe, prime-time, and late fringe for four nights of the event, with $7.7 million advertising dollars spent on the broadcast networks for their mostly prime-time coverage, according to iSpot.tv.

Advertising spending on the DNC was slightly above the Republican National Convention coverage the week before, where some $22.3 million was spent by marketers -- $5.7 million with the broadcast networks and $16.6 million on cable networks for its four-night event.

Big broadcast spenders for the DNC coverage included: Pfizer, $758,000; Ancestry, $721,000; Toujeo, $378,000; Warner Bros. (War Dogs movie), $358,000; and Mercedes-Benz, $266,000.

CNN and MSNBC delivered the best overall results for the key 10 p.m. time period, when nominee Hillary Clinton made her acceptance speech.

CNN took in a Nielsen 7.5 million viewers. MSNBC was second at 5.2 million; MSNBC sister network NBC had 4.5 million viewers; ABC, 3.8 million; CBS, 3.6 million and Fox News, 3.0 million.

For the three-hour 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. prime-time period, CNN earned 5.7 million viewers; MSNBC, 4.2 million; Fox News, 3.1 million. CNN also bested all networks on the night in key 25-54 viewers — 1.96 million; MSNBC, 1.16 million; and Fox News 656,000.