CNN's Trump-Biden debate draws 48 million viewers in drop from past elections

Roughly 48 million people tuned into the first general election debate between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden Thursday night, according to preliminary ratings from Nielsen, marking a significant decline in television viewership compared to the first general election debates of the last two presidential races.

Biden's train wreck performance coupled with Trump's highly-anticipated return to the debate stage drew a sizable audience in an era when the value of political debates had been in question, but very few young people watched. Of the 48 million that tuned in on live TV, only 3.9 million were between the ages of 18 and 34.

A total of 47.9 million people watched the debate on live television Thursday across several networks, according early figures. Among the coveted advertising demographic of 25-54-year-olds, 12.6 million tuned in. CNN said there were more than 30 million live starts of the debate on CNN's digital platforms and on YouTube. Millions of others likely watched clips or parts of the debate on social media.

Fox News' simulcast of the event drew the highest number of viewers, despite the fact that the event was hosted by CNN. Below are viewership figures by network: Fox News: 8.82 million. CNN: 8.75 million. ABC: 8.70 million. NBC: 5.17 million. CBS: 4.81 million. MSNBC: 3.94 million.

https://www.axios.com/2024/06/28/biden-trump-debate-ratings-viewership-election