Ratings Analysis: Tuesday night's debate between former president Donald Trump and vice-president Kamala Harris proved to be a much bigger draw than the Biden-Trump debate from June. ABC hosted the debate and led the way with a massive 4.22 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic, rising over 170% from the June debate (1.56). NBC (2.41) took second, while Fox (1.25) placed third. CBS (1.09) once more trailed the other networks in the key demo. After the debate, ABC (3.42) maintained its lead with debate analysis. NBC (1.53) remained in second, while CBS (0.77) was last again. In the 8 p.m. hour, ABC's "pre-game" show (1.39) topped its time slot. NBC (0.62) came in second, CBS (0.42) took third, and Fox (0.22) settled for a distant fourth. Counterprogramming was scarce, but the CW offered repeats of The Conners (0.04/0.05/0.05/0.05) for viewers uninterested in the debate. Key: (R) = repeat.
Time | Show | 18-49 Rating | 18-49 Share | Viewers (mil) | Network |
| 8 PM | Race for the White House | 1.39 | 15 | 7.59 | ABC |
| Debate Countdown: Harris v. Trump | 0.62 | 7 | 4.32 | NBC |
| America Decides: Campaign '24 | 0.42 | 5 | 3.18 | CBS |
| Democracy '24 | 0.22 | 2 | 1.34 | Fox |
| The Conners (R) | 0.04 | 0 | 0.38 | CW |
| 8:30 PM | The Conners (R) | 0.05 | 0 | 0.34 | CW |
| 9 PM | ABC News Presidential Debate | 4.22 | 24 | 19.05 | ABC |
| ABC News Presidential Debate | 2.41 | 13 | 10.08 | NBC |
| ABC News Presidential Debate | 1.25 | 7 | 4.85 | Fox |
| ABC News Presidential Debate | 1.09 | 6 | 6.19 | CBS |
| The Conners (R) | 0.05 | 0 | 0.26 | CW |
| 9:30 PM | The Conners (R) | 0.05 | 0 | 0.28 | CW |
| 10:45 PM | Debate Analysis | 3.42 | 26 | 13.62 | ABC |
| Debate Analysis | 1.53 | 10 | 7.22 | NBC |
| Debate Analysis | 0.77 | 6 | 4.79 | CBS |
Cable:
Show | Network | 18-49 Viewers | Viewers (mil.) |
| ABC News Presidential Debate | Fox News | 1.15 | 9.06 |
| Debate Analysis | Fox News | 1.09 | 8.41 |
| ABC News Presidential Debate | CNN | 0.98 | 4.39 |
| Debate Analysis | CNN | 0.72 | 4.03 |
| Debate Analysis | MSNBC | 0.69 | 7.02 |
| ABC News Presidential Debate | MSNBC | 0.68 | 6.38 |
| WWE NXT | USA | 0.19 | 0.63 |
| ABC News Presidential Debate | Newsmax | 0.12 | 1.20 |
| ABC News Presidential Debate | BET | 0.08 | 0.28 |
| ABC News Presidential Debate | Fox Business | 0.04 | 0.30 |
| ABC News Presidential Debate | NewsNation | 0.03 | 0.23 |
| WNBA: Lynx v. Dream | NBA | 0.02 | 0.10 |
Recent Presidential Debate Ratings combined (Big Four networks + big three cable news networks):Debate | Candidates | 18-49 Rating | Viewership (mil.) |
September 10, 2024
ABC News | Kamala Harris (D) vs. Donald Trump (R) | 11.78 | 60.00 |
June 27, 2024
CNN | Joe Biden (D) vs. Donald Trump (R) | 8.10 | 46.22 |
October 22, 2020
Commission on Presidential Debates | Donald Trump (R) vs. Joe Biden (D) | 11.40* | 57.43 |
September 29, 2020
Commission on Presidential Debates | Donald Trump (R) vs. Joe Biden (D) | 15.61 | 67.50 |
*Did not air on Fox
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