Ratings: ABC Wins Broadcast’s DNC Hour as Joe Biden Accepts Presidential Nomination

ABC topped broadcast in both TV ratings and total viewers at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, when ABC, CBS and NBC all aired coverage of the fourth and final night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention — an hour that saw Joe Biden accept the presidential nomination. But it was CBS that won primetime overall in both the key demo and audience size, thanks to “Big Brother” at 8 p.m. The below Nielsen numbers are not adjusted for time zones. Therefore, the ratings for CBS, NBC and ABC, which carried the convention live at 10 p.m. ET, should be considered subject to significant adjustment.

CBS was first in ratings with a 0.5 rating/3 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 2.53 million, according to preliminary numbers. At 8 p.m., “Big Brother” posted a 1.0/6 and 4 million viewers. Following an hour of sitcom repeats, Night 4 of the DNC at 10 p.m. had a 0.2/1 and 1.6 million viewers.

ABC was second in ratings with a 0.4/3 and in viewers with 2.46 million. After back-to-back encores, the network’s DNC coverage at 10 p.m. landed a 0.4/3 and 2.4 million viewers.

Univision, NBC, Fox and Telemundo tied for third in ratings, each with a 0.3/2. NBC was third in total viewers with 2.1 million, Univision was fourth with 1.2 million, Telemundo was fifth with 1.06 million and Fox (which aired only reruns) was sixth with 1.0 million. For NBC, following two hours of repeats, Night 4 of the Democratic National Convention at 10 received a 0.3/2 and 1.8 million viewers. The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.1/1 and in total viewers with 717,000. At 8 p.m., “Mysteries Decoded” got a 0.2/1 and 812,000 viewers. Reruns closed primetime.