The first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump drew an estimated 67.1 million viewers across 17 television networks, according to Nielsen data.
Tuesday’s debate in Philadelphia hosted by ABC News and aired across 17 television networks easily surpassed the 51 million who tuned in to the June debate hosted by CNN between Trump and President Joe Biden.
While Tuesday’s debate drew the largest television audience of the year for a non-sports event, it represents a drop in total audience from 2020, when more than 73 million people watched the first debate between Trump and Biden across all television networks. In 2016, a record 84 million tuned in to the first debate matchup between Hillary Clinton and Trump.
Viewership habits have changed dramatically since 2016, and Nielsen does not account for the myriad streaming and social media platforms that many also used to watch Tuesday’s debate. While fewer Americans watched the debate on television than in previous election years, millions more watched on digital platforms.
ABC, which hosted the debate, drew the most viewers with more than 19 million people tuning in, followed by NBC with more than 10 million and Fox News with more than 9 million.
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