By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The virtual Democratic National Convention attracted its biggest TV audience to date on Wednesday when former President Barack Obama and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris made their appeals to voters, according to data from tracking firm Nielsen.
An estimated 22.8 million people watched the third night of proceedings across 10 broadcast and cable television networks, Nielsen said. The number, which covered 10 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. Eastern time, jumped 3.6 million from Tuesday.
The TV audience for the convention, where Democrats nominated Joe Biden for president, remained below the level of 2016. TV viewership was about 7 percent higher on night three four years ago.
But the TV figures do not include viewing on digital platforms, which has jumped significantly since 2016 as traditional television watching has declined.
The Biden campaign has said that millions of people have watched on online platforms, for which there is no standard, third-party measurement. The event has run live on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), the DNC's website and elsewhere.
On Tuesday, about 19.2 million people tuned in on TV networks measured by Nielsen, a drop of 22% from four years ago. Roughly 19.7 million watched on Monday.
For the first time, the convention is being held virtually rather than in a large arena due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers have appeared live or in recorded segments. Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks on Thursday evening.
Republicans will hold their nominating convention for President Donald Trump next week.