Did it seem like you and everyone you know were watching and live-tweeting the GOP debate last night?
You might be on to something.
Early numbers indicate that Fox News enjoyed a record 16.0 household rating for the debate, compared to a 5.0 rating for the best performing debate preceding the 2012 election, CNNMoney reported.
That means roughly 16 percent of homes with TVs in the United States tuned in.
According to CNNMoney, the Democratic primary debates in 2008 (where people tuned in to see if Barack Obama could perform) were bigger than 2011-2012, but none drew more than 10 percent. By comparison, the 2015 Super Bowl drew a 49.7 rating.
Nielson will release firmer numbers later Friday.
To what can we attribute these huge numbers? To the “Trump show” – as some have called it. With every new controversial statement made by the Donald, interest in the debate picked up.
Some have said last night's big winner was Marco Rubio, who differentiated himself from his friend Jeb Bush. (Or maybe it was the NWA commercial.) But clearly it was really Fox News.
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