Media Advisory: First Presidential Debate of 2020 Draws 73.1 Million Viewers

Television Audience Estimates

New York, NY  — Sept. 30, 2020 — An estimated 73.1 million people tuned in to watch the first debate of the 2020 presidential election on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. The debate was hosted at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and featured Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden and Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump.

While coverage varied by network, 16 aired live coverage from approximately 9:00 p.m. ET to 11:00 p.m. ET. 

The chart below highlights the sum of the average viewing audience for these networks. It’s important to note that out-of-home (OOH) viewing as well as connected TV (CTV) viewing are included in the 2020 total figures for this advisory. Contribution coming from CTVs can be as much as 11% for televised political events.

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Michael Receno

Michael.Receno@Nielsen.com

Sal Tuzzeo

Sal.Tuzzeo@Nielsen.com

https://www.qa.nielsen.com/us/en/press-releases/2020/media-advisory-first-presidential-debate-of-2020/

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