Inaugural Galas Win Ratings

Bill Clinton’s celebrity-studded inaugural galas this week turned out to be ratings galas for the outlets that carried them.

An average of 20.5 million households, accounting for 34% of all homes watching television, tuned in to CBS’ delayed broadcast of Tuesday’s inaugural festivities at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md. By the last half-hour of the two-hour broadcast, CBS’ share of households watching TV had climbed to 41%.

The same phenomenon occurred in HBO homes Sunday night, with viewers tuning in as the show went on. The last 15 minutes of “An American Reunion”--the first presidential inaugural event available only on the pay-cable channel--grabbed more viewers than did the networks in homes with HBO.