Viewership for Obama Press Conference Dips

NEW YORK: President Barack Obama’s fourth press conference attracted 24.7 million viewers on Wednesday night, half the number that tuned in to his first, in February, and 14-percent down on the 28.8 million who watched his last televised address in April.

President Obama’s address on health-care reform was carried on ABC, CBS and NBC, as well as on Univision, Telemundo, BBC America, BET, CNBC, CNN, FOX News Channel and MSNBC. On the 11 networks, the combined household rating was 16.3, with a 32-percent share.

The single highest-rated show of the night, meanwhile, was NBC’s America’s Got Talent at 9 p.m. with 11.3 million viewers. In second place was So You Think You Can Dance, securing 7.4 million viewers on FOX—which opted not to carry Obama’s address. CBS’s repeat of CSI: NY scored 7.3 million viewers.

Overall, the night was won by NBC with an average audience of 7.9 million, with FOX in second with 7.4 million, CBS third with 6.9 million and ABC fourth with 5.1 million.