ABC and Univision’s Dem Debate Lands 14 Million Total Viewers – More Than CNN’s, Less Than NBC’s

ABC and Univision’s Democratic debate on Thursday averaged 14 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. That was more than CNN got back in July, but less than the NBCUniversal simulcast did in June.

Among adults 25-54, which is the key demographic for news programming, ABC and Univision combined for 4 million viewers.

In July’s Round 2, CNN drew 9.2 million total viewers on its first night and 10.1 million on the second. Of those, 2.4 million Night 1 viewers came from the key demo and 2.8 million Night 2 viewers were between the ages of 25 and 54.

Also Read: CNN Gets a Second Democratic Debate

A month before CNN’s, Night 1 of NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo two-part turn earned 15.3 million total viewers and Night 2 scored 18.1 million. That second evening, which included former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris and Mayor Pete Buttigieg, set a record for a Democratic Party primary debate.

In the key demo, the NBCU simulcasts averaged 4.3 million viewers and 5.3 million, respectively.

These broadcast vs. cable news returns should demonstrate the power of over-the-air TV — yes, even in 2019.

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CNN and NBCU both needed two nights because the candidate pool was so inflated. ABC and Univision invited the Top 10 potential nominees.

See the rest of Thursday’s primetime broadcast TV ratings here.

More to come…

CNN Gets a Second Democratic Debate

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