Despite much buzz and advance publicity, James Comey’s exclusive appearance on an ABC special Sunday did not win the night. The former FBI director’s sit-down with George Stephanopoulous drew 9.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The viewing public was more in the mood for music rather than political theater, however. The Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS garnered an audience of 11.5 million, emerging as the evening’s victor.
Mr. Comey also had more fans 10 months ago when he testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in June, a broadcast event which nabbed 19.5 million viewers, according to Joe Concha, media analyst for The Hill.
The recent reboot of “Roseanne” — which contained content considered positive towards President Trump and his administration — warranted a debut audience of 18 million in late March, and continues to draw audience numbers between 13-15 million, according to Nielsen.
Michael O’Connell, a correspondent for The Hollywood Reporter, also points out that though Mr. Comey “called President Trump a habitual liar, likened him to a mob boss and said he thinks it’s possible that Trump is compromised by Russian intelligence,” his ratings on ABC did not match the 22 million viewers who watched adult-film star Stormy Daniels on CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ interview on March 25.
“Daniels’ interview gave the CBS news magazine its biggest audience since Barack and Michelle Obama were on in 2008,” Mr. O’Connell noted.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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