Editor’s note: We have updated this post to include additional viewer demographic breaks for the Sept. 26, 2016, debate ratings and viewership numbers. The All Household and Persons 2+ ratings and viewership levels remain the same.
An estimated 84 million people tuned in to watch the first debate of the 2016 presidential election on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016. The debate was hosted at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., and featured Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump.
While coverage varied by network, 13 aired live coverage from approximately 9 pm ET to 10:45 pm ET.
In terms of the social nature of the debate, there were 17.1 million Twitter interactions from 2.7 million people in the U.S. related to the “Presidential Debate” on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, according to Nielsen.
The chart below highlights the sum of the average audience for these networks during common coverage.
| Sum of Networks Live + Same Day | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 26, 2016 | ||
| Rating | Number of Viewers | |
| All Households | 47.6 | 56,371,000 |
| Persons 2+ | 27.8 | 84,011,000 |
| Persons 18-34 | 18.2 | 12,753,000 |
| Persons 35-54 | 31.6 | 25,318,000 |
| Persons 55+ | 45.2 | 39,988,000 |
2016 Networks Included:
Debate 1 – ABC, CBS, FOX, UNI, NBC, TEL, AZA, PBS, CNBC, CNN, Fox Business Network, FOXNC, & MSNBC
NOTE: Data above is inclusive of broadcast and cable networks, as well as time period viewing to PBS affiliates. Common coverage over only ad-supported networks was 81 million viewers P2+.
| Sum of Networks Live + Same Day | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 3, 2012 | ||
| Rating | Number of Viewers | |
| Persons 2+ | 23.1 | 67,187,000 |
2012 Networks Included:
Debate 1 – ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TEL, UNI, PBS, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, CurrentTV and CNBC
