The Commander-in-Chief Forum, featuring Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, delivered strong ratings for NBC. It finished as the No. 1 prime time program on Wednesday, both in total viewers and in the key A25-54 demo.
The Forum drew a total of 14.7 million total viewers, including 4 million from the key A25-54 demo across NBC and MSNBC last night, which NBC News says is more than any broadcast network primary debate of this election cycle. Of the total forum audience, 3.43 million watched the live 8 p.m. ET telecast on MSNBC, including 856,000 viewers from the news demo. This means that 11.27 million total viewers, 3.14 million in the A25-54 demo, watched the Forum on the broadcast network.
- Earlier on TVNewser: Final 2016 Debate Ranker
It is important to note that the total Forum averages have been pulled from multiple broadcasts: The NBC+MSNBC live telecast on the East and West Coasts (8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT), a delayed NBC+MSNBC prime time telecast for the West Coast (8 p.m. PT), and the 8 p.m. ET live airing on MSNBC. The 5 p.m. PT live West Coast telecast aired on a selection of West Coast NBC affiliates.
Hosted by NBC’s Matt Lauer, who received his share of criticism for his role as moderator, the Forum was co-hosted by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and took place at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York.