October 03, 2008
Final: 69.9 million viewers -- Palin-Biden the most-watched vp debate ever
UPDATED: Thursday's highly anticipated face-off between Alaska governor Sarah Palin and Delaware senator Joe Biden was the most-watched vp debate of all time.
Last night's event was seen by 69.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
That's the most-viewed debate -- presidential or vp -- since the second round between Bill Clinton, Ross Perot and George Bush in 1992 (which also drew an audience of 69.9 million).
Thursday's event was 33% higher than Friday's top-of-the-ticket debate between John McCain and Barack Obama. It's 61% higher than the 2004 debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards. And it ranks 23% higher than the former title-holder for the most-watched vp debate -- the 1984 match between George Bush and Geraldine Ferrarro (56.7 million).
Thursday's debate was expected to potentially overthrow Friday's presidential debate in viewers due to questions about Palin's readiness and because the vp match was held on a Thursday, the most-watched night of the week. This audience response puts the election back onto the familiar historic and record-breaking ratings territory that characterized the convention coverage.
For Fox News (11.1 million), the debate was the most-watched telecast in the network's 12-year history. For CNN (10.7 million), it was the network's third most-watched event.
The national Nielsen includes viewers watching the debate live on 11 networks -- NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, PBS, CNN, Fox News, CSPAN, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, and Telefutura. The Baltimore market had the largest TV audience, with a household rating of 59.1, while the Los Angeles market had the lowest, with 34.4. In addition: PBS is projecting 3.5 million viewers and a 2.3 HH rating.
Debate reaction and analysis: "The most compelling 90 minutes of TV on a Thursday night in quite some time," writes Paul Gough."So how surprising was it, really, that neither candidate devolved into a Jerry Springer screaming fit or fell into a state of catatonia?" asked LA Times. Debate quotes from the AP. "Palin changed her image overnight," says Weekly Standard. "Palin scored points but didn't win," says Newsweek and Salon. "Attitude and image vs. facts and focus," says Baltimore Sun. "Rivals shine, Palin a bit more brightly," says Boston Globe.
Final: 69.9 million viewers -- Palin-Biden the most-watched vp debate ever
UPDATED: Thursday's highly anticipated face-off between Alaska governor Sarah Palin and Delaware senator Joe Biden was the most-watched vp debate of all time.
Last night's event was seen by 69.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
That's the most-viewed debate -- presidential or vp -- since the second round between Bill Clinton, Ross Perot and George Bush in 1992 (which also drew an audience of 69.9 million).
Thursday's event was 33% higher than Friday's top-of-the-ticket debate between John McCain and Barack Obama. It's 61% higher than the 2004 debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards. And it ranks 23% higher than the former title-holder for the most-watched vp debate -- the 1984 match between George Bush and Geraldine Ferrarro (56.7 million).
Thursday's debate was expected to potentially overthrow Friday's presidential debate in viewers due to questions about Palin's readiness and because the vp match was held on a Thursday, the most-watched night of the week. This audience response puts the election back onto the familiar historic and record-breaking ratings territory that characterized the convention coverage.
For Fox News (11.1 million), the debate was the most-watched telecast in the network's 12-year history. For CNN (10.7 million), it was the network's third most-watched event.
The national Nielsen includes viewers watching the debate live on 11 networks -- NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, PBS, CNN, Fox News, CSPAN, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, and Telefutura. The Baltimore market had the largest TV audience, with a household rating of 59.1, while the Los Angeles market had the lowest, with 34.4. In addition: PBS is projecting 3.5 million viewers and a 2.3 HH rating.
Debate reaction and analysis: "The most compelling 90 minutes of TV on a Thursday night in quite some time," writes Paul Gough."So how surprising was it, really, that neither candidate devolved into a Jerry Springer screaming fit or fell into a state of catatonia?" asked LA Times. Debate quotes from the AP. "Palin changed her image overnight," says Weekly Standard. "Palin scored points but didn't win," says Newsweek and Salon. "Attitude and image vs. facts and focus," says Baltimore Sun. "Rivals shine, Palin a bit more brightly," says Boston Globe.