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TV viewers for the Chauvin verdict topped 23 million, a massive audience for a daytime news event.

Why it matters: Such communal American moments are very rare in the streaming era.

Nielsen says 23.2 million Americans watched on 11 networks that carried Tuesday's verdict live. That count doesn't include ESPN, which also carried the verdict, AP reports.

Word spread that the verdict was coming some 90 minutes before it was delivered, giving time for the audience to gather. 

CNN, with an estimated 4.03 million viewers, had the biggest audience.

ABC, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC and CBS each drew at least 3 million.

Chauvin verdict drew audience of more than 23 million

Such communal American moments are very rare in the streaming era.

Derek Chauvin trial

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TV viewers for the Chauvin verdict topped 23 million, a massive audience for a daytime news event.Why it matters: Such communal American moments are very rare in the streaming era.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

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After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Chauvin verdict drew audience of more than 23 million

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