An estimated 65 million viewers tuned in to watch the debate between former President Trump and Vice President Harris, preliminary overnight television ratings revealed Wednesday.
The estimate, based on results in the nation’s major TV markets, is 28% bigger than the number of viewers who saw Trump face off against President Biden in June.
The debate hosted by ABC drew an overnight rating of 32.8 and a 70% share of all viewers across eight networks that aired it, meaning just under a third of Americans watched.
The ratings were even higher in battleground Pennsylvania, with the nation’s highest rating coming in Pittsburgh at 44.2. The No. 2 market was Philadelphia, where it drew a 43.4 rating. New York clocked in at a healthy 36.7, putting it at No. 7 among top markets.
It remains to be seen how the large audience for the debate will translate in the polls Most surveys crowned Harris the winner of the matchup, which the candidates entered in an effective dead heat.
The debate numbers are historically good, especially since TV ratings for mega-events have been generally declining in recent years as audiences turn to online streaming services.
But viewership fell short of the audience for Trump’s first presidential debates in previous election years.
His first clash against Biden in 2020 attracted 73 million viewers. That was fewer than the record-setting 84 million Americans who watched Trump’s first debate against Hillary Clinton in his successful 2016 campaign.