The Jan. 6 Committee hearing in prime time drew an estimated 17.7 million viewers, down 11 percent from the 20 million who watched the committee’s last evening event in June.
The Nielsen numbers are in at 10 networks. The committee’s June 9 hearing, which began its run, drew about 20 million across 11 networks.
Nielsen said each of the eight hearings averaged 13.1 million, while the two primetime hearings averaged 18.9 million. Daytime hearings averaged 11.2 million.
Those are solid, if not blockbuster, numbers. However, the committee’s hearings sparked news cycles and moments went viral on social media. That’s what happened Thursday, when the committee released a clip of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) fleeing the Senate floor as a crowd closed in on Jan. 6. Hours earlier, Hawley raised his fist in solidarity with the protesters.
The most watched hearing of the day was on June 28, attracting 13.2 million. It was the hearing that included the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, the former aide to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
Thursday’s prime-time hearing was treated as a season finale of sorts, as the committee focused on Donald Trump’s inaction while the Capitol was under siege. Sarah Matthews, former deputy press secretary, and Matt Pottinger, former deputy national security adviser, testified.
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