Day four of the Democratic National Convention featured the acceptance speech by nominee Sen. Barack Obama. The convention was carried live during prime time on ten networks – ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, BET, TV One, Univision and Telemundo. Coverage varied by network, all ten aired live coverage from approximately 10-11PM (ET). The final night drew the largest audience so far for the Democrats (24.5% of all American homes), eclipsing the audience reach the three previous evenings.
The speech by Sen. Obama was the fifth most-viewed, non-sports program among African American households in the last 11 years.
Highest Rated Programs Among African Americans 1997-2008
Viewers age 2+ (Sports Not Included)
| Rank | Program | Date | Network | African American Rating | African American Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MICHAEL JACKSON 30TH ANN. | 11/13/01 | CBS | 24.7 | 8,135,436 |
| 2 | NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK: The Temptations Pt. 2 | 11/2/98 | NBC | 23.6 | 7,539,709 |
| 3 | PRIMETIME SP EDITION-12/4: Whitney Houston | 12/4/02 | ABC | 22.1 | 7,443,277 |
| 4 | OPRAH WINFREY PRESENTS: The Wedding Pt. 2 | 2/23/98 | ABC | 21.6 | 6,748,990 |
| 5 | DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION | 8/28/08 | 10 Networks | 21 | 7,752,424 |
Read coverage of Nielsen's findings in The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the National Review, CBS News, the Boston Herald, and Variety.
