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In TV Ratings, Trump vs. Biden Was No Match for Trump vs. Clinton In TV Ratings, Trump vs. Biden Was No Match for Trump vs. Clinton
(about 1 hour later)
More than 67 million people tuned in to watch the chaotic presidential debate across the broadcast networks and three major cable news channels on Tuesday night, about a 10 percent decline from the first presidential debate four years ago, according to preliminary Nielsen figures. More than 73 million people watched the chaotic presidential debate on Tuesday night, about a 13 percent decline from the first presidential debate of the campaign four years ago, according to Nielsen.
In 2016, roughly 75 million people watched the inaugural matchup between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton across those seven networks. A record 84 million people watched the first debate between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Tuesday’s debate between President Trump and Joseph R. Biden Jr. was the third most watched, trailing the 80.6 million who watched President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Final live television viewership figures for the debate between President Trump and Joseph R. Biden Jr., including tallies from other networks like PBS and Telemundo, will be released later on Wednesday by Nielsen. The Nielsen numbers, released on Wednesday, do not include people who streamed the event or watched it online, a habit that is more widespread now than it was in 2016.
In all, a record 84 million people watched the first debate between Mr. Trump and Hillary Clinton. When the final figures are in, Tuesday’s debate will exceed the 67.2 million who watched the first presidential debate in 2012. Presidential debates, like the one that at least 16 networks aired on Tuesday, are typically among the most-watched telecasts of the year. The Super Bowl, which had about 100 million viewers this year, is one of the few events with wider reach. Election night coverage in 2016 had a television audience of 71 million.
The Nielsen numbers do not include people who streamed the event or watched it online, which is even more widespread now than it was four years ago. This year’s Republican and Democratic National Conventions drew a smaller number of TV viewers than they did in 2016, with a drop of about 25 percent for each. The declines for the conventions and the debate could be explained by the shift in viewing habits, from traditional TV to streaming online — but no outside group credibly measures the digital audience.
Presidential debates, which air on at least a dozen networks, are typically among the most-watched telecasts of the year. The Super Bowl, which had about 100 million viewers this year, is one of the few events with wider reach. Election night coverage in 2016 was watched by 71 million television viewers. The downturn may also result from the fact that Mr. Trump’s presence in the political arena — which helped shatter ratings records throughout the 2016 campaign — has become less of a novelty.
This year’s Republican and Democratic National Conventions drew television audiences smaller than the ones they had in 2016, with a drop of about 25 percent for each. The declines for the conventions and the debate could be explained by the shift in viewing habits, from traditional TV to streaming platforms and websites — but no outside group credibly measures the online viewing audience. Tuesday’s showdown was the first time that Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden had squared off in a campaign now in its final stretch. Mr. Trump repeatedly interrupted Mr. Biden during his allotted speaking time and was not deterred when the moderator, Chris Wallace of Fox News, urged him to stop. At one point, an exasperated Mr. Biden said to Mr. Trump, “Will you shut up, man?”
The downturn may also result from the fact that Mr. Trump’s presence in a political arena — which helped shatter ratings records throughout the 2016 campaign — has become less of a novelty.
Tuesday’s showdown was the first time that Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden had squared off in a campaign that has entered its final stretch. Mr. Trump repeatedly interrupted Mr. Biden during his allotted speaking time and was not deterred when the moderator, Chris Wallace of Fox News, urged him to stop. At one point, an exasperated Mr. Biden said to Mr. Trump, “Will you shut up, man?”
“I’m just sad with the way last night turned out,” Mr. Wallace told The New York Times on Wednesday.“I’m just sad with the way last night turned out,” Mr. Wallace told The New York Times on Wednesday.
Viewers, however, did not appear to be turned off by all the cross talk. Audience figures on the broadcast networks and the three cable news channels grew in the first 30 minutes and peaked with an average of 68 million viewers between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m. Eastern time, according to Nielsen. Declines after that were relatively modest. Sixty-four million people were still tuned in to the seven top networks for the final few minutes of the debate, according to Nielsen. Viewers, however, did not appear to be turned off by all the cross talk. Audience figures on the broadcast networks and the three cable news channels grew in the first 30 minutes and peaked with an average of 68 million viewers between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m. Eastern time, according to Nielsen. Declines after that were relatively modest. Sixty-four million people were still tuned in to the seven top networks for the final stretch of the 96-minute bout, according to Nielsen.
About 17.8 million people tuned in to Fox News to watch the debate, by far the highest tally for any network. ABC, the only broadcast network to have an hour of pre-debate coverage, had an audience of 12.6 million, the second highest of any outlet. About 17.8 million people tuned in to Fox News to watch the debate, by far the highest tally for any network. It was one of the biggest nights in Fox News’s history, second only to the 24 million people who watched the first Republican primary debate in 2015, Mr. Trump’s debate-stage debut. The Fox News figure was also the highest for a presidential debate in the history of cable news.
ABC, the only broadcast network to have an hour of pre-debate coverage, had an audience of 12.6 million, the second highest of any outlet.
Debate viewers were evenly split between the cable news and broadcast networks, at roughly 33 million apiece. That’s a contrast from previous cycles, when more viewers tuned in to the networks.
Future debates may be less unruly. “Last night’s debate made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues,” the Commission on Presidential Debates said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that it would announce changes soon.
The debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Mr. Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, will be held next week. The 2016 vice-presidential debate had an audience of 36 million.
The final two presidential debates are scheduled for Oct. 15 and Oct. 22.