Record 38 million viewers watched Obama's speech RAW STORY

Published: Friday August 29, 2008





Print This Email This 38 million tuned into watch Senator Barack Obama accept the Democratic presidential nomination, according to Nielsen Media Research.



"Mr. Obamas speech  a historic one given his status as the first African American nominee of a major political party  reached significantly more viewers than the comparable addresses in 2004," The New York Times reports. "Coverage of John Kerrys acceptance speech in 2004 had 24.4 million viewers; coverage of George W. Bushs convention speech that same year drew 27.5 million."



As over 84,000 filled Mile High Stadium to hear Obama in person, according to Nielsen Media Research, the televised broadcasts attracted more viewers than the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final 'American Idol' or the Academy Awards this year.



The Times also notes that "the four-night Democratic convention ranks as the most-watched convention of either party, Democratic or Republican, since Nielsen began measuring conventions in 1960."



"Obama's audience might be higher, since Nielsen didn't have an estimate for how many people watched Obama on PBS or C-SPAN Thursday night," the Associated Press adds.



