The January 6th Committee’s primetime hearing drew an estimated 17.7 million viewers, an 11% dropoff from the 20 million who watched the committee’s last nighttime event in June.
The figures from Nielsen are across 10 networks. The committee’s June 9 hearing, kicking off its series, drew about 20 million on 11 networks.
Nielsen said that each of the eight hearings averaged 13.1 million, while the two primetime hearings averaged 18.9 million. The daytime hearings averaged 11.2 million.
Those are solid albeit not blockbuster numbers. The committee’s hearings, though, have commanded news cycles, and moments have gone viral on social media. That happened on Thursday, when the committee played a clip of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) running from the Senate floor as the mob approached on January 6. Hours earlier, Hawley had raised his fist in solidarity with the protesters.
The highest viewed daytime hearing was on June 28, drawing 13.2 million. That was the hearing featuring the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, the former aide to chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Thursday’s primetime hearing was treated as a season finale of sorts, as the committee focused on Donald Trump’s inaction as the Capitol was under siege. Sarah Matthews, former deputy press secretary, and Matt Pottinger, former deputy national security adviser, testified.