By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, September 17, 2015
CNN got what it had hoped: record ratings for last night's Republican presidential primary debate. Based on overnight Nielsen ratings, the three-hour debate drew nearly 23 million viewers. Another 4.5 million watched at least part of a live stream.
This debate fell just slightly short of the first debate on Fox News, which attracted 24 million overnight viewers and 25 million once DVR usage was included.
This obliterated the former CNN record of 16.8 million viewers from 1993: a NAFTA debate between then Vice President Al Gore and business magnate and former presidential candidate Ross Perot.
The biggest previous debate record on CNN was a 2008 debate that brought in 8.3 million viewers. Without a doubt, the magnified interest in the debates are driven by Donald Trump, who currently leads in the polls.
The earlier debate featuring four lower-rung candidates brought in 6.3 million viewers vs. 6.1 million for a comparable Fox News debate last month.
The first Democratic primary debate on October 13 will also air on CNN. The next GOP debate will be on CNBC Oct. 28 and focus on the economy and business.
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