Clinton, Trump Debate Drew 84M Viewers

By
( )
published

An estimated 84 million people watched Hillary Clinton debate Donald Trump on Monday, according to Nielsen.

Nielsen aggregated the viewing across the 13 networks that aired live coverage of this campaign seasons first debate between the two major party presidential candidates. The rating is live plus same day, so it includes some DVR viewing.

According to Nielsen the debate drew a 47.6 household rating and a 27.8 ratings among people aged 2 and up. Those numbers include viewing on PBS affilaites. Among ad-supported networks 81 million people tuned in. The numbers do not include live streaming or out of home viewing.

It was the most watched debate ever, topping the 80.6 million Nielsen estimates saw Ronald Reagan debate Jimmy Carter in 1980. The most watched debate four years ago between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney drew 67.2 million. That was also the first of three debates.

Nielsen also said that it tracked 17.1 million Twitter interactions from 2.7 million people in the U.S. on Monday.

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.