GOP convention will battle NFL openers for attention
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Republicans will have some stiff competition for eyeballs when they hold their first-ever midterm convention next month in Dallas — the NFL, American television's undisputed champion of ratings.
Driving the news: The GOP's Sept. 9-10 convention in Dallas will go head-to-head with the two opening games of the NFL season, which are expected to draw huge audiences each night.
- Some GOP operatives are privately incredulous that a convention designed to draw attention to the party's fall candidates was scheduled opposite the NFL.
- They fear the GOP will struggle to persuade voters — particularly men, who powered President Trump's 2024 comeback — to choose politics over football.
The convention's opening night will overlap with the New England Patriots playing the Seattle Seahawks in a Super Bowl rematch. It will be on NBC and its streaming platform, Peacock. In Dallas that night, Vice President Vance will deliver the convention's keynote speech.
- The convention's second night will coincide with a rivalry matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams, which will be streamed on Netflix. Trump is the keynoter in Dallas that night.
Zoom in: It's not totally clear how the major broadcast networks will cover the GOP convention, but organizers say the event won't be like a miniature version of the four-night, made-for-TV conventions that take place in presidential election years.
- The organizers say they're well aware of the competition from the NFL. But they argue they'd be fighting for eyeballs even without football, given how dramatically Americans' media habits have changed.
- So they're planning a faster-paced, social media-focused convention designed to produce moments that can break through online, whether or not voters are watching live.
Republicans have invited social media influencers to attend, and they'll be distributing content on Facebook, X, TikTok and more.
- Organizers also are planning dramatic moments, with planned commemorations to mark the one-year anniversary of pro-Trump activist Charlie Kirk's assassination and the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
- Entertainers and sports figures, including UFC fighters, also will be spotlighted.
For all the focus on digital media, Republican officials are still talking with the traditional networks about airing the convention, sources tell Axios.
- Spokespeople for NBC, ABC and CBS did not respond to inquiries about their plans.
By the numbers: Recent NFL openers have drawn enormous audiences. Last year's opening night game pitting the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles drew 28.3 million viewers on NBC, Peacock and NBC+.
- That's substantially more than the opening nights of either party's convention in 2024, when 20 million viewers watched the Democratic National Convention and 18.1 million tuned in to the Republican National Convention.
- The final nights of the 2024 conventions — featuring the presidential nominees' acceptance speeches — drew 26.2 million viewers for Democrats and 25.4 million for Republicans.
What they're saying: "President Trump is one of the greatest showmen in history, and we fully expect to have a spectacular showing in Dallas and draw a massive viewership," RNC spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre told Axios.
