An estimated 37 million people tuned in to watch the vice presidential debate of the 2016 presidential election on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. The debate was hosted at Longwood University in Farmville, V.A., and featured Democratic V.P. Nominee Tim Kaine and Republican V.P. Nominee Mike Pence.
While coverage varied by network, nine aired live coverage from approximately 9:00 pm ET to 10:30 pm ET.
In terms of the social nature of the debate, there were 4.8 million Twitter Interactions from 640,000 people in the U.S. related to the “Vice Presidential Debate” on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016, according to Nielsen. Those Tweeting about the debate sent 7.5 Tweets on average.
The chart below highlights the sum of the average audience for these networks during common coverage.
| Sum of Networks Live + Same Day | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 4, 2016 | ||
| Rating | Number of Viewers | |
| All Households | 23.5 | 27,605,000 |
| Persons 2+ | 12.2 | 37,160,000 |
| Persons 18-34 | 4.9 | 3,422,000 |
| Persons 35-54 | 12.6 | 10,050,000 |
| Persons 55+ | 25.1 | 22,234,000 |
2016 Networks Included:
ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, CNN, Fox Business Network, FNC and MSNBC
NOTE: Data above is inclusive of broadcast and cable networks, as well as PBS member stations. Common coverage of ad-supported networks only was 35.7 million viewers P2+.
| Sum of Networks Live + Same Day | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 11, 2012 | ||
| Rating | Number of Viewers | |
| Persons 2+ | 17.7 | 51,419,000 |
2012 Networks Included:
ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, TEL, UNI, CNBC, CNN, Current TV, FNC and MSNBC
