An estimated 73.1 million people tuned in to watch the first debate of the 2020 presidential election on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. The debate was hosted at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and featured Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden and Republican Presidential Nominee, Donald Trump.
While coverage varied by network, 16 aired live coverage from approximately 9:00 p.m. ET to 11:00 p.m. ET.
The chart below highlights the sum of the average viewing audience for these networks. It’s important to note that out-of-home (OOH) viewing as well as connected TV (CTV) viewing are included in the 2020 total figures for this advisory. Contribution coming from CTVs can be as much as 11% for televised political events.
2020 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES
Sum of Networks Live + Same Day
Sept. 29, 2020
Rating
No. of Viewers
2020 Networks Included: Debate 1 – ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TEL, UNI, PBS, CNN, CNNe, Fox Business Network, FOXNC, MSNBC, Newsmax, Newsy, VICE and WGNA.
All Households
40.2
48,581,000
Persons 18-34
12.0
8,420,000
Persons 2+
23.7
73,132,000
Persons 35-54
25.5
20,292,000
Persons 55+
42.7
40,496,000
Source: Nielsen. NOTE: Out-of-home viewing as well as connected TV (CTV) viewing are included in the 2020 total figures for this advisory. Contribution coming from CTVs can be as much as 11% for televised political events. Data above is inclusive of broadcast and cable networks, as well as PBS member stations. Debate 1 coverage of ad-supported networks only was 71.5 million viewers among persons 2+.
2020 Networks Included: Debate 1 – ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TEL, UNI, PBS, CNN, CNNe, Fox Business Network, FOXNC, MSNBC, Newsmax, Newsy, VICE and WGNA.
All Households
40.2
48,581,000
Persons 18-34
12.0
8,420,000
Persons 2+
23.7
73,132,000
Persons 35-54
25.5
20,292,000
Persons 55+
42.7
40,496,000
Source: Nielsen. NOTE: Out-of-home viewing as well as connected TV (CTV) viewing are included in the 2020 total figures for this advisory. Contribution coming from CTVs can be as much as 11% for televised political events. Data above is inclusive of broadcast and cable networks, as well as PBS member stations. Debate 1 coverage of ad-supported networks only was 71.5 million viewers among persons 2+.
Nielsen Holdings plc is a global measurement and data analytics company that provides the most complete and trusted view available of consumers and markets worldwide. Nielsen is divided into two business units. Nielsen Global Media provides media and advertising industries with unbiased and reliable metrics that create a shared understanding of the industry required for markets to function.
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