The first presidential debate of the 2024 cycle, hosted by CNN, attracted a total audience of approximately 51.3 million viewers, according to final Nielsen numbers. This represents a significant drop of 35% from the 2020 debate, which drew 73.1 million viewers. CNN's broadcast led the individual network ratings with 9.53 million viewers, narrowly surpassing Fox News, which had 9.28 million viewers. The debate also generated over 30 million views on digital properties and YouTube. Despite the lower overall viewership, the debate was the most-watched non-sports program of the year and the highest-rated program in CNN's history.
CNN REPORTS 20-YEAR RECORD LOW DEBATE VIEWERSHIP (CNN) CNN reports indicate that just 47.9 million people tuned in to the first 2024 presidential debate. Full article: https://t.co/NdPPEgrWfv https://t.co/wOILBvNkU2
Quick question: what was the viewership of the debate? Similar to other recent elections?
Less than a third of likely voters watched debate. Very low numbers for first time a President and former President debated. People were expecting huge audience. Nope, smallest audience in 20 yrs. I imagine most of those who watched were hard core for one candidate or the other.
Nearly 48 million people watched the Trump-Biden debate on TV, but that's nothing compared to previous election years https://t.co/g0wzXkmhm1
Final numbers come in at 51.3 million viewers and CNN edges out Fox in total viewers with 9.53 million vs. 9.27 million viewers https://t.co/7rJJuDu6e0
A recent report reveals 51.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the final debate between Biden and Trump, marking it as the least-watched debate since 2004. However, CNN's broadcast of the event emerged as a top-rated program.
BREAKING NEWS: More people watched Fox News's broadcast of CNN's debate on Fox News than they did on CNN. Fox News: 8.82 million CNN: 8.75 million ABC: 8.70 million NBC: 5.17 million CBS: 4.81 million MSNBC: 3.94 million FOX: 3.48 million Via Axios. https://t.co/9TezraLu4L
FOX News Media’s Simulcast of CNN Presidential Debate Was the Highest-Rated Program in All of Television With 13.4 Million Viewers https://t.co/fDbmeAqgfb https://t.co/LhTFyOC6tb
“More people watched the CNN Presidential Debate than any other CNN program in history,” the network said. The debate was also the most watched non-sports program of the year so far on television. https://t.co/dzUbCHFWfB https://t.co/vaBZiNE9g5
#PresidentialDebate2024 CNN: 9.53M Fox News: 9.276M ABC: 9.2M NBC: 5.39M CBS: 5.011M MSNBC: 4.721M Fox: 1.103M Newsmax: 1.282M Fox Business: 397K NWSN: 349K HLN: 273K BET: 259K
Biden’s nightmare debate brought in 48 million viewers — 25 million fewer than 2020’s first matchup https://t.co/yZfMMxabcA
Ratings: The final total debate audience is 51.3 million, -30% from the first one in 2020. CNN had the most viewers of any individual network, just barely - 9.53 million to 9.28 million for Fox News https://t.co/5PtqEJmOye https://t.co/8i45TSqyDu
DEBATE RATINGS UPDATE: Per *final* Nielsen numbers, CNN actually just eked out Fox News: CNN: 9.53 million FOX News: 9.28 million https://t.co/o2yIyknBDy
The first presidential debate of the 2024 cycle, hosted on Thursday by CNN, attracted nearly 48 million viewers, according to early data provided by the network — far fewer than 2020’s first debate, which drew 73.1 million. https://t.co/jWblj0rfw4
CNN had a 35% drop in audience viewership from the 2020 debate to 2024’s. https://t.co/YTzVe2GFer
The CNN broadcast viewership vs. X: CNN: 47.9 million views X: 242 million views X got five times more views on the presidential debate than CNN despite being simulcast to 22 networks. Let that sink in. https://t.co/9mVS18yGUK
Total audience for debate is 51.3 million. Largest audience is 55+ with 34.2 million. Smallest is 18-34 with 4.5 million. https://t.co/SoDv2Uvuz5
part of why punditry is so dumb: The nearly 48 million who watched Thursday night’s debate on television represents a 35% drop in audience from 2020, when more than 73 million people watched the first debate between Trump and Biden across all television networks. In 2016, a…
Fox News was #1 on cable during the post-debate analysis period, 10:45-11pm: Fox: 8.04 million CNN: 7.15 million MSNBC: 4.57 million
Early debate audience totals: Fox News: 8,815,000 CNN: 8,747,000 ABC 8,696,000 NBC: 5,170,000 CBS: 4,812,000 MSNBC: 3,935,000
Fewer than 50 million watched the debate between former President Trump and President Biden https://t.co/Mr6z6rFTa6 https://t.co/3Y5vObiPpy
This was always going to be the silver lining to a bad performance from either of them. Fewer people watching a first debate in June than in Sept: Last night: 48 million viewers Trump-Biden 2020: 73 million Trump-Clinton 2016: 84 million https://t.co/cehbuDQ52t
BREAKING: 47.9 million viewers tuned in to CNN's presidential debate. CNN drew 8.7 million Fox News drew 8.8 million ABC News drew 8.7 million MSNBC drew 3.968 million CNN is claiming this is a 35% drop in audience from 2020, when more than 73 million people watched the first… https://t.co/glDBmYsL3z
Good numbers for cable! But much lower total than expected — 70mil watched the first debate in 2020 https://t.co/d0IH4T8VmM
Per CNN, fast nationals, a combined 47.9M viewers watched Thursday’s #PresidentialDebate2024 Also, the event generated more than 30M views on its digital properties and on YouTube. https://t.co/M4ZPeBLzx6