Press Conference Outdraws Biden's ABC Interview

It's not clear yet whether President Biden's press conference Thursday persuaded Democrats to line up behind him as their nominee, but the data shows the appearance was a ratings success. Around 24.2 million people watched the live event on broadcast and cable TV, according to Nielsen data released Friday. That's way more than saw George Stephanopoulos' interview of the president aired on ABC last Friday, Variety reports. That well-publicized broadcast drew about 8.5 million viewers. The largest subset, 5.67 million, saw the press conference on Fox News, per the Hollywood Reporter.

The Nielsen figures do not include streaming. As presidential events go, viewer interest was in the State of the Union ballpark; 32.2 million people watched Biden's speech to Congress this year. More people watched the Biden-Donald Trump debate in June. The Wrap points out that ABC delayed the start of its ESPYs coverage to stick with the press conference. (More President Biden stories.)