Election night 2024 saw its Television audiences fall sharply compared to 2020, but new data suggests tens of millions of Americans were still tuning in… just watching YouTube.

The Google-owned video platform said Thursday that more than 45 million people in the United States watched election-related content on Tuesday, November 5. That’s a huge number, and while obviously not everyone was watching live video during prime time, it suggests that tens of millions of people were nonetheless turning to YouTube for election information.

For comparison, Nielsen said an average of 42.29 million viewers tuned in across 18 cable and broadcast networks between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET. The YouTube data isn’t an exact comparison, but it nonetheless shows a scale rivaled only by traditional television.

When it comes to election live streams, YouTube said the most-watched broadcast was from Fox News, which peaked at more than 1 million concurrent viewers when Donald Trump addressed his supporters this evening – there. Fox was followed (ranked by most concurrent viewers) by NBC News feeds, Fox’s LiveNOW (another Fox feed), and ABC News.

Notably, a stream hosted by popular podcaster Patrick Bet-David rounded out the top five and highlighted how podcasters and creators have managed to break through in today’s media environment.

Of course, YouTube also offers Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and the broadcast networks on its YouTube TV service.

YouTube also revealed the most-watched election videos in the United States in the weeks and days leading up to the election, and they highlighted Joe Rogan’s influence and reach.

The comedian and podcaster presented the two most-watched election videos on YouTube, leading with his interview with Trump and followed by his interview with Vice President-elect JD Vance. Video number three was a supercut of Trump working at McDonalds by creator Dylan Anderson, who makes videos featuring wholesome stories.

THE Saturday evening live Cold Open featuring Vice President Kamala Harris was the fourth most-watched election video on YouTube, while the top five was rounded out by a Surrounded Jubilee video featuring conservative podcast host Ben Shapiro surrounded by 25 Harris voters.

The data clarifies the extent to which traditional media have lost their influence over the past four years, although viewership of Fox, NBC and ABC’s streams suggests there is still an audience for their work on platforms other than traditional pay TV platforms.

However, the surprising success of Bet-David’s PBD Podcast and Rogan’s strong performance also suggest that a new center of power may emerge, one that is more fragmented, but where strong voices can find a meaningful audience.

Johnny Harris, Brian Tyler Cohen, Megyn Kelly and Alex Cooper Call her daddy also received significant viewership on election-related content, all outside of the traditional news ecosystem.