Over sixty-seven million viewers engaged with the initial Harris-Trump debate, surpassing the viewership of the previous Biden encounter.
Last week's discussion in Philadelphia, organized by ABC News and broadcast on 17 different channels, smashed the 51 million viewers who tuned into the June event on CNN, featuring Trump and President Biden.
Although last week's event brought in the greatest TV audience of the year, it saw a decline in overall viewership compared to 2020. Over 73 million individuals tuned in to the initial 2020 debate between Trump and Biden on all networks. In 2016, a staggering 84 million people watched the initial clash between Hillary Clinton and Trump.
There's been a significant shift in viewing habits since 2016, and Nielsen doesn't consider the multitude of streaming and social media platforms that numerous people used to catch last week's debate. Even though less Americans watched the debate via traditional TV than during previous election years, a substantial number turned to digital platforms.
ABC, the organizers of the debate, attracted the most viewers with around 19 million tuning in, trailed closely by NBC with over 10 million and Fox News boasting more than 9 million.
The success of last week's debate can also be attributed to its extensive coverage in various business media outlets. Despite declining traditional TV viewership, the event generated substantial engagement on various digital media platforms.
