Melania Trump’s Speech Lifts Republican TV Ratings on Second Night

(Bloomberg) -- More than 19.4 million viewers tuned in to TV news networks for the second night of the Republican convention, with First Lady Melania Trump helping to increase the audience from Monday night.

Fox Corp.’s Fox News Channel won the night, attracting 7.91 million total viewers, according to Nielsen data from six major networks released by CNN. Comcast Corp.’s NBC came in second place with almost 2.5 million viewers.

The audience was larger than the 17 million who tuned in for the first night of the Republican convention but trailed the 19.7 million who watched the second night of the party’s confab four years ago. It was slightly above the 19.2 million viewers who watched the Democratic convention a week ago.

The numbers are based on programming that began at 10 p.m. New York time on 11 channels measured by Nielsen.

Viewers have been watching less traditional TV, even for big events such as the Oscars and the Super Bowl, and comparable data for online viewing isn’t available. This year, the parties have also been challenged by the coronavirus, which made it impossible to host a live event with thousands of people.

Tuesday’s programming featured President Donald Trump’s son Eric speaking on his father’s behalf, as well as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who spoke from Jerusalem.

The headliner was the first lady, who argued for her husband’s re-election before a live audience in the White House’s Rose Garden, which she helped redesign. Attendees included the president, Vice President Mike Pence and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The first lady addressed the Covid-19 crisis, as well as the protests surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement. She urged Americans to pause, look at things from all perspectives and come together in a civil manner.

“I also ask people to stop the violence and looting being done in the name of justice, and never make assumptions based on the color of a person’s skin,” she said. “Instead of tearing things down, let’s reflect on our mistakes.”

Wednesday’s lineup is expected to include speeches from Pence and his wife, Karen.

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