Nearly 17.7 million television viewers tuned in Thursday for the second prime-time hearing of the House Select Committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the news service announced Friday. Nielsen rating. The number, which spans 10 broadcast and cable networks, represents a slight drop from the more than 20 million people who watched the prime-time premiere in June.
According to ratings data provided Friday by some of the individual networks, MSNBC led the pack with an average of 4.7 million viewers for the high-profile programming block from 8 to 11 p.m. Similar to their plans for the June 9 hearing, major broadcast networks ABC, CBS, and NBC pulled other programming to make room for Congressional proceedings; ABC led the three with an estimated 3.98 million viewers, while NBC drew 2.69 million and CBS 2.68 million. July tends to be the lowest-rated month on TV.
Fox News did not show the audience and instead aired its regular programming with Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity. The network posted 2.66 million viewers during Thursday’s prime time block. Fox News Media chose to air the hearing on the less-watched channel Fox Business.
During the hearing, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) led the questioning of former deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger and Sarah Matthews, deputy press secretary for Trump in the White House. Witnesses reported that President Donald Trump refused to dissuade the mob from attacking the Capitol on his behalf, ignoring alleged pleas from top aides and advisers such as his daughter, Ivanka. Results of Trump’s address to the nation the day after the attack showed he refused to say “the election is over.”
CNN reported earlier this week that the cable network’s ratings for the Jan. 6 daytime hearings rose with each subsequent hearing, as did MSNBC’s. CNN averaged 1.5 million viewers for the June 16 audience, and for the following three it drew 2.1 million, 2.4 million and 2.6 million. The June 28 hearing with former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson ranked highest among daytime ratings, drawing 13.2 million viewers on the networks, according to Nielsen.
Committee members said Thursday they expected additional hearings in September.