As the U.S. Presidential Election results unfolded, millions worldwide tuned into streaming and digital platforms to stay updated.
According to Stream Charts, a live streaming analytics platform, a total of 84 million hours were streamed on Election Day, with YouTube accounting for 80.6% of viewership. With 13.1% of total hours viewed Rumble, an online video platform often popular with conservative audiences, made it to second on the list.
Additionally, according to the streaming platform report Fox News emerged as the top broadcast on YouTube, reaching a record peak of 1.14 million viewers, followed by NBC News, which peaked at 616,900 viewers.
Furthermore, Nielsen reported that traditional broadcasts and cable networks attracted 42 million viewers, with the majority tuning in between 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm across 18 channels. However, from the 2020 election cycle, which drew 56.9 million prime-time viewers this represents a decline of over 25%.
Notably, Fox News outranked all television networks with 13.6 million viewers during primetime, including its digital platforms. Fox News Digital also experienced record engagement, since 2020 achieving its highest page views, media interactions, and minutes spent. The platform reported a total of 47.2 million livestream views from the evening through the early morning hours.
Additionally, political mentions on Twitch, an Amazon-owned live streaming platform fluctuated in response to key moments in the Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns. Following Vice President Kamala Harris’s participation in a town hall event on CNN, her mentions on Twitch increased by 39.5% while nearly 8 million peak concurrent viewers and 17 million hours watched the September debate between Harris and Donald Trump attracted worldwide attention. This viewership surpassed other major live-streaming events, including the North America’s League of Legends Summer Championship, 2024 Apple Event, and the 2024 Call of Duty League playoffs.