By Helen Coster
(Reuters) – A total of 18 million people watched the second night of the mostly virtual Republican National Convention, according to early Nielsen Media Research, slightly fewer than the 18.2 million viewers who watched the second night of the Democratic National Convention across the same number of networks.
The 18 million RNC number reflects the audience across six TV networks between 10 p.m EDT and 11 p.m. EDT. It does not include online and streaming viewers. The first night of the RNC attracted 17 million viewers across 11 TV networks, a 26% decline from the same night in 2016.
(Reporting by Helen Coster; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)