President Biden’s State of The Union address on Mar. 7 experienced a double-digit percentage jump from last year’s address.
At a combined 32.23 million total viewers across fourteen outlets, according to Nielsen Media Research, it grew by almost five million from Feb. 7, 2023 (27.31 million), representing an increase of 18%.
Every major outlet, with the exception of Univision, increased from the year-ago speech. Fox News was not only the most-watched network in total viewers; with 5.843 million viewers, but also grew the most from 2023 percentage-wise —+24.5%.
ABC (5.241 million, +19% from Feb. 7, 2023) was runner-up.
While NBC (4.465 million, +18%) placed third, it led all outlets within the key 25-54 demographic delivering a 0.97 rating, edging out ABC (0.95) and Fox News (0.94) (Note: a 1.0 rating in 25-54 equates to approximately 1.211 million viewers within the aforementioned age range.)
Fourth-place MSNBC (4.425 million, +24%) was the only major network (from the three major cable news outlets, Big-4 broadcast networks, and two Spanish-language networks) to also increase from two years ago — up 9% (in viewers) and up two% (in 25-54 demo) from Mar. 1, 2022 (4.057 million, 0.56 A25-54 rating). MSNBC also had the biggest percentage increase from last year within 25-54, growing 39% (0.57 rating vs. 0.41).
As for the rest of the networks:
- CBS (4.09 million, +14%)
- CNN (2.632 million, +9%)
- Fox broadcast network (1.773 million, +7%)
- Univision (970,000, -10%)
- Telemundo (900,000, +8%)
PBS, CNN en Español, Fox Business, Newsmax, and NewsNation accounted for a combined 1.893 million viewers.
Based on adults 25-54, the main seven networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox broadcast network, Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN) delivered a 5.19 rating, rising 19% from last year (4.35). In addition to the aforementioned top three — NBC (0.97 rating), ABC (0.95), and Fox News (0.94) — CBS (0.72), CNN (0.59), MSNBC (0.57) and the Fox broadcast network (0.45) had followed.
Biden’s Mar. 7 address is the first time a president in the fourth year of his first term has seen State of the Union viewership increase compared to the year prior.
Although it did not top Biden’s personal best — 38.2 million for the SOTU on Mar. 1, 2022
— It also outperformed his 2021 speech to the joint session of Congress (26.94 million) as well as President Barack Obama‘s final two SOTU addresses (31.33 million on Jan. 12, 2016, 31.7 million on Jan. 20, 2015) and President Bill Clinton‘s final SOTU on Jan. 27, 2000 (31.48 million) — the last time a SOTU was held on a Thursday night prior to this year.
It is also the latest in the calendar year that a president has delivered the State of the Union since 1934, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt revived the practice of giving an in-person annual
speech.
The Republican response following the State of the Union also increased from last year, as a result. Across six networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, MSNBC and CNN — a combined 18.26 million watched Katie Britt, the junior GOP senator from Alabama, deliver her address from her home kitchen, starting at 10:53 PM Eastern. That’s up 9% in total viewers (and, with a combined 2.95 demo rating, up 10% in 25-54) from last year‘s response by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (16.81 million, 2.68 A25-54 rating).
Fox News led in total viewers (5 million) and adults 25-54 (0.78 rating); ABC was runner-up in each figure: 3.36 million, 0.52 A25-54 rating.
As for the other networks:
- MSNBC: 3.01 million, 0.38 A25-54
- CBS: 2.65 million, 0.39 A25-54
- NBC: 2.63 million, 0.49 A25-54
- CNN: 1.61 million, 0.39 A25-54
