• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, August 26, 2020

Day Two of the Republican National Convention out-delivered the TV network audiences of the second day of the Democratic National Convention, as well as Day Two of the RNC in 2016.

Nielsen estimates 19.8 million Americans two years or older watched the second day of RNC coverage on the broadcast and cable networks that carried it, which is 3% higher than the 19.2 million people who watched the second day of the DNC's coverage.

Strikingly, it was also the first night of 2020's "virtual" convention coverage to actually beat its 2016 live convention coverage, albeit by just 2.0%.

A mitigating factor in 2020's lower overall convention coverage TV ratings likely is the fact that more people are also streaming the conventions online than in 2016.