More than 55 million people tuned in to watch the final presidential debate between President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, according to preliminary Nielsen TV ratings.
Fox News led the way, with nearly 15 million people tuning in to watch the two candidates on Thursday night. ABC and NBC eclipsed 10 million viewers, while CNN, MSNBC, and CBS took up the rear, with more than 5 million viewers apiece.
The number of total viewers will go up as additional information regarding streaming services and other platforms are factored into play.
The first presidential debate between Trump and Biden had more than 70 million viewers, as 62 million people watched it on those six news channels. It was widely criticized by journalists and pundits for interruptions, personal attacks, and exasperated calls from the moderator to try to quell the overlapping dialogue.
The second and final debate was widely viewed as much more successful, as both candidates more frequently allowed the other person to finish before rebutting. The moderator, NBC’s Kristen Welker, was also widely praised for her tough questions directed at both candidates and for keeping control of the debate.
There was supposed to be a debate last Thursday, which would’ve been the middle of the three, but it did not happen after the president tested positive for COVID-19. The Commission on Presidential Debates changed the format to make it remote, however, the Trump campaign refused to participate in such an event. Instead, each of the candidates held separate town halls on rival networks at the same time.
