Preliminary Analysis: Vice-president Mike Pence and senator Kamala Harris sat down for a much more civil debate than their bosses had, with ratings fairly in-line with the 4-year ago Pence v Kaine debate. ABC led the pack once more with a robust 1.9 A18-49 rating, seven-tenths above what the 2016 VP debate did (1.2). The alphabet network might have benefited from starting their night off with a 'Pence vs Harris' special (0.9). They closed things out with an impressively high 'Debate Analysis' (1.3). NBC's debate broadcast (1.3) significantly trailed the 1.9 it posted in 2016 but also had slightly less lead-in help than ABC from a steady 'Weakest Link' (0.8). 'Debate Analysis' (1.0) similarly fell behind the alphabet network.
Fox's debate broadcast (1.1) actually went four-tenths above 2016 (0.7) but the debate also had a stronger lead-in than four years ago ('The Masked Singer' 1.4; vs. New Girl; 1.0). Airing before the debate, 'The Masked Singer' (1.4) dropped an alarming five-tenths following last week's stellar resurgence. Pending adjustments, this could end up being a new series low for the reality series. CBS's debate telecast (1.0) was fairly in-line with 2016, leading out of a declining 'Big Brother' (0.9) and leading into 'Debate Analysis' (0.7). The CW had the debut of acquired series 'Devils' (0.1) and a steady 'Coroner' (0.1).
You can read more about Vice-president debate ratings HERE.
Finals Update: 2020 Vice Presidential Debate coverage on ABC (+0.3), NBC (+0.3), Fox (+0.1) and CBS (+0.1), Debate Analysis on ABC (+0.3), NBC (+0.1) and CBS (+0.1), The Masked Singer (+0.1) and Big Brother (+0.1) adjusted up. Pence vs. Harris: The VP Debate (-0.1) adjusted down.
(P) = premiere
