President Obama’s speech on Afghanistan draws 25 million viewers–smallest TV audience since taking office

President Barack Obama's primetime speech on Afghanistan on Wednesday was watched by 25.4 million total viewers in the United States, according to Nielsen--making it the smallest television audience for a major speech since Obama took office.

The address, delivered from the East Room of the White House, was carried live on nine networks, delivering a 16.4 household rating.

To put that audience share in perspective, President Obama's December 2009 speech on Afghanistan drew 40.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen estimates

Obama's Oval Office address on the end of the Iraq War in August 2010 drew 29.2 million viewers; his speech on the Gulf Coast oil spill, on June 15, 2010, was watched by 32.1 million, per Nielsen.

In terms of audience, Tuesday's speech was comparable to the president's address in March on the status of American involvement in Libya. That speech drew 25.6 million viewers, though it was carried on eight networks and aired at 7:30 p.m. (ET), just before primetime. (His first appearance on "60 Minutes" after the 2008 election, by comparison, drew 25.1 million.)

Few speeches are comparable to the one Obama delivered on Sunday, May 1, when 56.5 million watched the president announce that U.S. military forces had killed Osama bin Laden.

U.S. Viewership for President Obama's Major Speeches

• Osama bin Laden Death Announcement, May 1, 2011 • 56,512,179
• Address on Libya, March 28, 2011 • 25,636,310
• State of the Union, January 25, 2011 • 42,789,947
• Address at Tucson Memorial, January 12, 2011 • 30,773,369
• Address on End of the Iraq War, August 31, 2010 • 29,232,689
• Address on Gulf Coast Oil Spill, June 15, 2010 • 32,051,887
• State of the Union, January 27, 2010 • 48,009,595
• Speech on Afghanistan, December 1, 2009 • 40,767,134
• Address to Joint Sessions of Congress, February 24, 2009 • 52,373,000

SOURCE: Nielsen

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)