President Barack Obama’s first primetime news conference drew more viewers than his inauguration day festivities but fewer than tuned in to President Bill Clinton’s first chat in 1993.

Monday’s Obama talk drew 49.5 million total viewers across eight networks, airing from 8 to 9 p.m. It averaged a 30.8 household rating on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Univision, CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC, according to Nielsen.

These figures do not include internet viewing, though the feed was carried live by several web sites.

That was well below the 64.3 million who tuned in for a similar Clinton conference in 1993 just weeks after his inauguration. That address, also focused on the economy, averaged a 42.1 household rating across the Big Four networks.

And it was well down from a similar address by President George Bush in 2001, though that was to be expected. That conference, airing a month after the 9/11 attacks and carried on seven networks, averaged 64.8 million total viewers and a 42.0 household rating.

Obama did manage to outdraw coverage for his inauguration, which drew 37.8 million total viewers.

It marked Obama’s first presidential address from the White House after taking office late last month. He focused on encouraging Congress to pass his $800 billion economic stimulus package, which the Senate approved yesterday.