Obama's Inauguration Watched By 29.2% Of Households In Top 56 Markets

The combined overall household rating -- including 14 broadcast and cable networks from 10 am to 5 pm and on CNBC and ESPN from 11:30 am to 1 pm -- for the inauguration of President Barack Obama in Nielsen's top 56 metered markets was 29.2%. That puts Obama way ahead of the second inauguration of George W. Bush four years ago. That inaugural was among the least watched at 11.8% in the top markets with a mere 15.5 million tuning in. The 1981 inauguration of Ronald Reagan is still the most-watched inaugural with 37.4% penetration in the top markets and 41.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen.