NBC News is #1 Across Broadcast in the Key A25-54 and A18-49 Demos
MSNBC Prime Achieves 3rd-Highest Ranking Program in Network History
NBC News Digital Sets Record With More Than 100 Million Visitors, More Than 80 Million Live Stream Viewers
November 4, 2020 — NBC News and MSNBC together drew 13.422 million viewers for “Decision 2020” Election Night coverage and NBC News Digital set a record with more than 100 million visitors to election content, including more than 80 million viewers of its live streams. According to Nielsen Media Research, NBC News and MSNBC tallied a combined 5.091 million in the key A25-54 demo and 4.386 million in A18-49 during the primetime (8-11 p.m.) coverage.
NBC News was #1 across broadcast in the key A25-54 and A18-49 demos, averaging 2.567 million and 2.198 million, respectively. Additionally, the network posted 5.792 million in total viewers during the primetime (8-11 p.m. ET) coverage led by “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, “TODAY” co-anchor and chief legal correspondent Savannah Guthrie, “Meet the Press” moderator and NBC News political director Chuck Todd and NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent and senior Washington correspondent Andrea Mitchell.
MSNBC’s special “Decision 2020” Election Night coverage from 8-11 p.m. ET was the 3rd highest-ranking program in the network’s 25-year history with 7.630 million total viewers. Compared to 2016, MSNBC’s Election Night programming was up +28% in total viewers, the most growth in cable news. In A25-54, MSNBC’s primetime coverage was up +6% over 2016, averaging 2.524 million. The network’s live reporting from 9-10 p.m. ET marks the network’s 2nd highest-rated hour in network history among total viewers, with more than 7.827 million people tuning in.
NBC News Digital drew a record 100 million plus visitors to its election coverage across all platforms, including 80 million viewers to live streams, and saw more than 125 million total views. It was also NBC News’ best day ever for video views, page views and NBC News NOW viewership and total hours watched.
NBC News NOW’s livestreams delivered more than 59 million video starts and more than 51 million viewers, watching for a total of 11 million hours, across all platforms. Viewers watched NBC News NOW for an average of 24 minutes.
More than 3.5 million people used NBCNews.com’s Plan Your Vote, Road to 270, Swing The Election and other data interactives and user predictive tools on NBCNews.com.
NBC News Digital reached more than 5 million Gen Z and millennial viewers on mobile, including more than 3.6 million viewers across NBC Stay Tuned on Snapchat and via the more than 130 mobile alerts sent on Election Day and Night.
For the day, NBC News Digital saw an increase of +83% in unique visitors and an increase of +380% in video starts compared to during the 2016 election across all platforms.
NBC News has been in continuous special live coverage on the network since 7 p.m. ET on Election Day until the overnight hours and the following day. Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell have been leading the 22-plus hour coverage since the first projections were announced yesterday.
MSNBC aired live special election coverage all night starting with Nicolle Wallace at 4 p.m. ET and followed by Chris Hayes at 5 p.m. ET. Rachel Maddow and Brian Williams, joined by Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid, anchored MSNBC’s special “Decision 2020” coverage along with Steve Kornacki at the Big Board from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. ET. Katy Tur and Ayman Mohyeldin continued coverage into the early morning hours from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. ET.
NBC News Digital streamed election coverage all day and across all platforms, including on NBC News NOW, NBCNews.com and MSNBC.com, starting with Joe Fryer and Savannah Sellers in the morning and continued coverage throughout the day from Joshua Johnson, Alison Morris, Chuck Todd and dozens more correspondents and experts from NBC News and MSNBC. NBC News delivered an in-depth digital election experience with live results, live blog updates, comprehensive analysis and exit polls on NBCNews.com/Decision2020, as well as on the NBC News mobile app on iOS and Android.
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NBC News
Dana Klinghoffer
MSNBC
Lorie Acio
NBC News Digital
Emily Passer
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NBC NEWS AND MSNBC
More Americans watch NBC News and MSNBC than any news organization in the world. NBC News’ award-winning television news broadcasts include TODAY, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Meet the Press with Chuck Todd and Dateline NBC – all of which closed out 2019 at #1 in the key news demo for the fourth straight year. Additionally, NBC News produces Third Hour of TODAY, TODAY with Hoda and Jenna and Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist, as well as primetime specials and breaking news reports. MSNBC is the premier cable destination for breaking and live news coverage, in-depth analysis, and influential voices – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The rapidly-growing NBC News Digital Group, including its streaming news service NBC News NOW, along with the SiriusXM TODAY Show and MSNBC radio channels and NBC News Radio on the iHeartMedia 24/7 News Network, provides continuous content to consumers wherever they are, whenever they want it.
NBC News and MSNBC are part of the NBCUniversal News Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast Corporation. For more information about NBCUniversal, please visit www.NBCUniversal.com.
