The current Presidential election cycle has been unprecedented in many ways. As we come up to the Republican and Democratic conventions, we wanted to take a look at who we think we drive bigger ratings. During the election cycle, both Republicans and Democrats alike have made this one of the most interesting and headline-creating elections in recent memory. While Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have certainly made plenty of headlines, the Republican Party led by Donald Trump has seemingly made an effort to never be out of a single news cycle.
Many people point fingers at Donald Trump for diluting the seriousness of the race to become the Republican president candidate. However, the other candidates added their fair share of excitement. Ted Cruz always seemed to be making headlines based on this or that promise at a campaign rally, Jeb Bush seemed to make it his duty to be the one insulting Donald Trump during the debates, and all along Trump himself was seemingly trying to see how many people he could offend in one election cycle.
Which convention gets higher ratings?
As Donald Trump remains the last candidate standing on the Republican side, we think this will lead to impressively high ratings for the Republican convention. Trump’s main goal has been to woo his supporters with shock and awe and there is no way he stops this at the convention (his most notable Twitter war was even recently reignited).
One of his senior advisors even mentioned the Republican side might break with tradition and have Donald Trump speak every night of the convention. This contrasts to the normal structure of the candidate accepting the nomination and speaking on the last day. There were even discussions about live streaming Trump speeches in order to get more viewers and push the convention right back into that reality TV vibe that has benefitted Trump so well.
Will higher ratings help add new voters?
The real question is whether the likely large viewership gap between the Republican and Democratic convention will be beneficial. While Donald Trump is currently polling for a close race with Hilary Clinton, he has been known to seriously ruffle some feathers. But, his supporters have honestly loved his controversial statements and believe this is what makes him the ideal non-traditional candidate. And he’s looking for ways to pull in supporters for other candidates that fell by the wayside too.
This could create a problem because there may be undecided or wavering voters who tune in to watch the excitement of the convention; if Trump does hold fast to his controversial statements at the convention, he might officially push away some of those swing voters. If he does have nightly speeches, it will surely drive ratings up, but will also give him many more chances for the controversial statements and promises that have kept his disapproval ratings shockingly high.
Want to watch the conventions online?
Speaking of ratings, you will likely be interested in finding ways to watch both or one of the conventions. If you have cut cable or just never signed up in the first place, you’ll be glad to know there are plenty of ways out there. Below are some of the best options.
Sling TV: Dish Network’s subscription streaming service will let you live stream CNN, which will give you plenty of convention coverage. Plus, Sling TV lets you stream more than 20 other popular cable channels for just $20 per month. Certain markets get access to CBS or NBC, but all markets do have channels like FX, FS1, TBS, AMC, A&E, and TNT. If you do get access to CBS or NBC, the starting price jumps to $25 per month, but you get 20 additional streaming channels as well.
PlayStation Vue: This service offers nearly identical options as Sling TV. You can watch CNN and in certain places get full access to NBC and CBS, as well as FOX and ABC. The difference comes in the structure of the package as PlayStation Vue costs $29.99 per month ($39.99 in locations with NBC, CBS, etc..) and you get to live stream more than 50 cable channels. These channels include ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, TNT, FS1, AMC, Comedy Central, and much more.
CBS All Access: CBS’s streaming service basically lets you watch exactly what is being broadcast on CBS in your area online. It is available in 80% of the United States and would be a great way to watch any convention coverage on CBS each night. CBS will be bringing in plenty of experts to discuss speeches and plenty of other aspects about the convention. The service is surprisingly cheap at only $5.99 per month and you even get a serious cache of on-demand content featuring new and old CBS shows.
Twitter: New into the fray, Twitter will also be a source to watch the convention. It recently announced it will continue testing out its live streaming service by teaming up with CBS to offer convention coverage online. The footage will be shot by CBS and will be streaming on Twitter’s Live product. The live stream availability is fitting, as Twitter has been an incredibly important part of this election cycle. Donald Trump has consistently used it as a way to make political statements or discuss his opponents.
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