NEW YORK — Approximately 24.6 million viewers tuned in to witness President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, marking the lowest attendance for this ceremonial event since Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013. The Nielsen Company reported that this figure is a decline from President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, which drew in 33.8 million viewers, and also from Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, that was watched by 30.6 million people.

Inauguration viewership has shown significant fluctuations over the last fifty years, ranging from a peak of 41.8 million during Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inauguration to a low of 15.5 million when George W. Bush began his second term in 2004. The extended duration of Trump’s inauguration coverage may have contributed to his lower viewer statistics, as the 24.6 million figure reflects the average audience tuning into one of 15 networks from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern time. Historically, past inauguration broadcasts have been shorter, potentially leading to higher average viewership as audiences tend to drop off as the event progresses throughout the day.

Nielsen has yet to provide a specific estimate for the viewership numbers leading up to 4 p.m. Eastern, which is typically the time when most inauguration coverage concludes. Clearly, there was a significant preference among viewers on this particular Monday, as Fox News Channel attracted an impressive 10.3 million viewers between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., coinciding with the moment Trump was sworn in and delivered his inaugural address. Meanwhile, during this same timeframe, ABC’s viewership stood at 4.7 million, NBC had 4.4 million, CBS garnered 4.1 million, CNN reached 1.7 million, and MSNBC captured 848,000 viewers, according to Nielsen’s findings.

In contrast, four years earlier, Biden’s inauguration saw 13.4 million viewers collectively on CNN and MSNBC, in stark comparison to the 2.4 million who watched on Fox News.