Fox News had 4.8 million viewers for its coverage of President Trump’s Fourth of July “Salute to America” speech, according to Nielsen Media Research, marking the highest ratings the network has registered on July 4 in its nearly 23-year history.
The viewership topped NBC’s prime-time coverage of the Fourth of July fireworks show from New York City, which averaged 3.8 million total viewers.
NBC did attract 5.9 million viewers for its pre-fireworks broadcast from 8-10 p.m., which included musical performances, easily besting broadcast competitors ABC and CBS for the night.
{mosads}CNN also carried Trump’s speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington live and averaged 1.5 million viewers.
In the 25- to 54-year-old demographic sought by advertisers, Fox News averaged 793,000 viewers during the president’s remarks, while CNN averaged 353,000 in the category.
The Fox coverage was anchored by chief congressional correspondent Mike Emanuel.
Trump announced Monday he planned to hold a similar Fourth of July event in 2020, sparking backlash from Democrats who believe the event is too expensive.
“It was a wonderful day for all Americans and based on its tremendous success, we’re just making the decision and I think we can say we’ve made the decision to do it again next year. And maybe we can say for the foreseeable future,” Trump said at the White House on Monday.
The Interior Department and Defense Department have not provided specifics around the cost of the 2019 event.
– This story was updated July 12 at 10:30 p.m. with additional information