TV Ratings: Biden-Trump Debate Draws 51M Viewers, Way Below 2020
The CNN-produced program was the earliest of any presidential election cycle since debates began being televised.
The first debate face-off (of the 2024 election cycle, at least) between President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump drew a big audience — but not nearly as big as their 2020 debates.
The 99-minute debate, produced by CNN but aired on 16 other networks, averaged 51.27 million viewers, according to final same-day ratings from Nielsen. That’s down by 30 percent from the candidates’ first debate in 2020, which drew 73.13 million viewers. (Thursday’s Nielsen-measured audience doesn’t include streaming.)