An estimated 59.2 million people tuned in to watch the third and final debate between President Barack Obama and Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Monday, October 22.
The foreign policy-focused debate, hosted by Lynn University in Florida and moderated by CBS’ Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer, was carried across 11 networks.
While coverage varied by network, 10 networks aired live coverage from approximately 9:00PM to 10:30PM while Telemundo aired coverage on tape delay. The chart below highlights the sum of the average audience for these networks.
The debate was up against two sporting events—Monday Night Football on ESPN, which had 10.7 million people (P2+) tuning in and Game 7 of the MLB NLCS on FOX, which had 8.1 million people watching.
| Oct. 3, 2012 | Oct. 16, 2012 | Oct. 22, 2012 | ||||
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| Rating | Number of Viewers | Rating | Number of Viewers | Rating | Number of Viewers | |
| All Households |
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| Persons 2+ |
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| Persons 18-34 |
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| Persons 35-54 |
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| Persons 55+ |
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| Sept. 26, 2008 | Oct. 7, 2008 | Oct. 15, 2008 | ||||
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| Rating | Number of Viewers | Rating | Number of Viewers | Rating | Number of Viewers | |
| Persons 2+ |
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2012 Networks Included:
Debate 1 – ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TEL, UNI, PBS, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, CurrentTV and CNBC
Debate 2 – ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TEL, UNI, PBS, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, CurrentTV and CNBC
Debate 3 – ABC, CBS, NBC, TEL, UNI, PBS, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, CurrentTV and CNBC
2008 Networks Included:
Debate 1– ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telefutura, Telemundo, BBC-America, CNBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC
Debate 2 – ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo, Univision, BBC-America, CNBC, CNN, FOX News Channel, and MSNBC
Debate 3 – ABC, CBS, NBC, Telemundo, Univision, BBC-America, CNBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, MUN2 – The MLB Playoffs aired on FOX broadcast opposite the debate
