(CTN News) – The first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump drew a sizable audience of 51.27 million viewers on television, according to Nielsen data.
However, the viewership represented a significant decline of over 30% compared to the candidates’ first face-off in 2020.
The 90-minute debate, hosted by CNN from its Atlanta studios, was simulcast across 22 television networks. It marked a strategic win for the network, which has been grappling with declining ratings in recent years.
On the main CNN channel, the debate attracted 9.53 million viewers, including 3.379 million in the key 25-54 demographic prized by advertisers. Fox News followed closely with 9.276 million viewers, while ABC News drew 9.21 million and MSNBC had 4.122 million.
“More people watched the CNN Presidential Debate than any other CNN program in history,” the network said in a statement. The debate also became the most-watched non-sports program on television so far in 2024.
The digital performance of the debate was equally impressive, generating over 30 million views on CNN’s digital platforms and YouTube. The event set a new record for CNN’s streaming service, Max, though the network did not disclose specific audience figures.
Despite the sizable viewership, the debate represented a steep decline from the candidates’ first showdown in 2020, which drew over 73 million viewers across all networks.
2016 United States presidential debates
The 2016 presidential debates between Trump and Hillary Clinton hold the record, peaking at 84 million viewers for the first matchup.
Experts attribute the viewership decline to a combination of factors, including voter fatigue from repeated Biden-Trump matchups and the debate’s unusually early timing in the election cycle. Typically, general election debates occur later in the campaign season.
The debate also marked a departure from tradition, as it was the first presidential debate since 1988 that was not organized by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
Instead, CNN took charge of the event’s rules, format, and distribution, drawing some criticism for its hands-off approach to fact-checking the candidates’ statements.
Nonetheless, the debate represented a much-needed boost for CNN, which has seen its ratings slide in recent years as traditional television viewers increasingly migrate to streaming platforms.
The network celebrated the event as its most-watched program ever, surpassing a 2015 GOP primary debate that featured Trump.
Looking ahead, the next presidential debate between Biden and Trump is scheduled for September and will be hosted by ABC News. Biden’s team has confirmed his intention to participate, despite the challenges of the first debate.