The official kickoff to a year and a half of debates has proven to be an early success for the TV networks who carried the first two. The second debate on Thursday brought in record ratings.
Nearly 18.1 million Americans watched live on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo as 10 candidates clashed. The broadcast included a riveting exchange between Senator Kamala Harris of California and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
The ratings, released by Nielsen on Friday, beat the 15.5 million viewers who watched the previous record-holder for a Democratic debate, a meeting of five candidates on CNN in October 2015.
The first debate was also successful with 15.3 million people tuning in.
CNN media analyst Brian Stelter says:
The high ratings have exceeded the expectations of NBC executives and surprised others in the TV industry. Democratic officials have cheered the news. “The more people that watch our candidates, the more people are gonna like our candidates,” DNC chair Tom Perez told the Washington Post.
But Stelter adds:
The ratings still fall far short of the Trump-fueled records for Republican primary debates that were set in 2015. Trump’s first time on the debate stage, in August 2015, helped attract 24 million viewers to Fox News. His second time, the following month, helped draw 23 million viewers to CNN.
