According to Fast Nationals from Nielsen, approximately 5.3 million people tuned in to watch the GOP debate on CBS Saturday night.
The first broadcast network debate of this political season was far ahead of the CNBC debate last week, though it did not draw as many viewers as the Oct. 18 debate on CNN, the Sept. 22 debate on Fox news, or the Sept. 7 debate on MSNBC. Those debates had the advantage on being held on weekdays, when far more people are watching TV.
CBS also faced some stiff competition, with the UFC making its broadcast network debut on Fox. The UFC on Fox drew 5.7 million viewers. There was also a highly-promoted boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Marquez on pay per view.
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