Last night’s GOP debate on CNBC drew 3.332 million Total Viewers from 8-10pmET, including 993,000 adults in the key A25-54 demographic, according to data from Nielsen Media Research.
Those numbers made it the top cable news channel — and in fact top cable channel — in total viewers from 8-10pm. In the demo it was tops on cable news, and finished second behind USA Network overall.
For the night (7PM-2AM) it is believed to be CNBC’s most-watched evening since Feb. 4, 1997, the day of the OJ Simpson civil trial verdict. In the demo, it was the network’s strongest night since 09/11/2001.
How did the CNBC debate rank compared to the other debates held so far? Not surprisingly given the channel’s niche focus, the debate drew fewer viewers than any debate held since June. Of course, Nielsen does not count out-of-home viewing, and CNBC would argue that much of its viewers are watching from outside of their homes, even in primetime.
The full debate grid is after the jump.
Debate | Network | Total Viewers | A25-54 |
---|---|---|---|
Nov. 9 | CNBC | 3,332,000 | 993,000 |
Oct. 18 | CNN | 5,468,000 | 1,651,000 |
Oct. 11 | Bloomberg | NA | NA |
Sept. 22 | Fox News | 6,107,000 | 1,701,000 |
Sept. 12 | CNN | 3,600,000 | 1,100,000 |
Sept. 7 | MSNBC | 5,411,000 | 1,728,000 |
Aug. 11 | Fox News | 5,053,000 | 1,430,000 |
June 13 | CNN | 3,162,000 | 918,000 |
May 5 | Fox News | 3,258,000 | 854,000 |