NEW YORK – North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham area had the largest TV audience during inauguration coverage of President Barack Obama.

Nielsen Media Research says the Raleigh-Durham market had more than 51 percent of households tuned to Tuesday’s events.

Nationally, about 30 percent of TV homes were tuned to the inauguration coverage in the 56 local television markets measured by Nielsen Media Research. Seattle-Tacoma had the lowest viewership, with just 18.8 percent.

The audience estimate reflects live coverage on 14 broadcast and cable networks from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, as well as CNBC and ESPN that aired the inauguration from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST.

This preliminary count represents about 70 percent of the nation’s total TV households.