Subscribe
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE

Nearly half the people who tuned in for President Obama’s first inauguration, skipped the second installment.

Even with Beyoncé ‘s (alleged) lip-synced rendition of the National Anthem, plus other celebrities and noted political figures all in attendance, it still wasn’t enough to get people interested.

According to POLITICO.com, 20.6 million people watched the ceremony held on Martin Luther King Day, down 46 percent from the 2009 event, which was viewed by roughly 37.8 million.

Airing on all of the major networks, and cable stations like Fox News Channel, CNN, CNBC, BET, Centric, Univision, Neilson based the figures from numbers compiled from the aforementioned TV destinations. CNN was the big winner in cable news, beating out its competitors, with 3.136 million viewers.

Even with the decrease in numbers, more people watched both of the commander in chief’s inauguration ceremonies, than that of his predecessor, President George W. Bush.

Second-term inaugurations are known to draw fewer viewers, as are the events themselves. Less people attended this year’s festivities compared to Obama’s first swearing in, four years ago.

President Ronald Reagan is the reigning champion of inauguration viewers with 41.8 million people watching in 1981. President Obama’s 2009 inauguration remains in second place.

Photo: Mercury News