About 27.3 million people watched Biden’s speech, down from last year

By Helen Coster and Lisa Richwine

(RockedBuzz via Reuters) – An estimated 27.3 million people watched Tuesday night’s State of the Union address by US President Joe Biden, according to Nielsen ratings data from 16 television networks.

Biden’s viewership was down 29% from his State of the Union address last year, which brought in 38.2 million viewers, Nielsen said.

The figures included people watching on the largest television and cable networks in the United States, including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC.

In Tuesday’s 73-minute speech, Biden, a Democrat, challenged Republicans to raise the US debt ceiling and advocate for tax policies that are friendlier to middle-class Americans.

Nielsen said 59% of viewers watched on broadcast networks and 73% of audiences were 55 or older.

Television audiences for live events have declined dramatically as audiences have gravitated to on-demand streaming services.

TV ratings data doesn’t capture all viewers on streaming services or social media.

(Reporting by Helen Coster and Lisa Richwine; Editing by Chris Reese, Josie Kao and Leslie Adler)