CNN Debate Gives Network Its Highest Ratings Ever
Initial ratings for last night’s Republican debate on CNN are in and it appears that the network just scored its most-watched program ever.
22.9 million viewers tuned in to the primetime debate at 8 p.m., putting it just behind the 24 million who watched the first GOP debate last month on Fox News, which set an all-time record high.
The 6 p.m. “undercard” debate featuring the bottom four candidates in the polls drew 6.3 million viewers, which is already about 10 times more than the network gets during that hour on a typical day. And it was slightly higher than the 6.1 million who watched the early debate on Fox.
According to CNN’s Brian Stelter, the previously most-watched CNN program of all time was a 1993 episode of Larry King Live that featured a debate between Al Gore and Ross Perot and reached 16.8 million viewers. Before last night, CNN’s most-watched presidential primary debate was on the Democratic side. It aired on January 31, 2008 and averaged 8.3 million total viewers.
For yet another illustrative comparison, last Thursday’s NFL season opener between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers was watched by 27.4 million viewers.
[Photo via CNN]
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