NEW YORK – In a tight election campaign where both sides are vying for an advantage, the party whose midsummer convention attracts more viewers might seem to have a crucial edge.

However, historically speaking, this metric holds little significance.

In the past 16 presidential elections dating back to 1960, the party with the most-watched convention won 8 times and lost 8 times.

Over the first three nights of the conventions this summer, the Democrats averaged 20.6 million viewers, while Republicans averaged 17 million in July, according to Nielsen.

“It’s fascinating to see these indicators of success in politics, but they often do not predict the outcome,” said veteran journalist Jeff Greenfield, who covered the Democrats’ convention this week for Politico.

The popularity of a convention, as reflected in TV ratings, does not necessarily translate into electoral success.