or


[10/04/12 - 04:02 PM]
Over 11 Million Americans Turn to NBC News for Coverage of the First Presidential Debate
NBC further spins the numbers for Wednesday, October 3.
[via press release from NBC]

OVER 11 MILLION AMERICANS TURN TO NBC NEWS FOR COVERAGE OF THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

#1 AMONG ADULTS 25-54 ACROSS ALL BROADCAST AND CABLE NETWORKS

POST-DEBATE ANALYSIS: 8.7 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS; 3.9 MILLION A25-54

OCTOBER 4, 2012 -- 11.069 million total viewers turned to NBC News for coverage of the first 2012 presidential debate. Nearly half of that audience, 5.156 million viewers, were adults aged 25-54 -- making NBC News the most-watched broadcast or cable network among the key A25-54 demographic.

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE (9:00-10:33pm ET)

NBC News' coverage of the first Presidential Debate averaged 11.069 million total viewers, +5% (+493,000) more than CBS (10.576 million) and +61% (+4,184,000) ahead of FOX (6.885 million).

In A18-49, NBC averaged a 3.8 rating, beating ABC by +12% (+4 tenths), CBS by +23% (+7 tenths) and FOX by +31% (+9 tenths).

In A25-54, NBC averaged a 4.3 rating, +10% (+4 tenths) ahead of ABC, +13% (+5 tenths) ahead of CBS and +43% (+1.3 rating points) more than FOX.

POST-DEBATE ANALYSIS (10:33-11:00pm ET)

NBC's post-analysis coverage (10:33p-11p) averaged 8.719 million total viewers, +24% (+1,709,000) ahead of CBS' 7.010 million.

In A18-49, NBC averaged a 2.8 rating, +12% (+3 tenths) more than ABC and +33% (+7 tenths) more than CBS.

In A25-54, NBC delivered a 3.3 rating, +10% (+3 tenths) ahead of ABC and +32% (+8 tenths) ahead of CBS. Note ABC's coverage began at 10:32p.

Versus the rated analysis on the first night of the 2008 Presidential debate (Fri 9/26/08), NBC was up +22% (+1,594,000) in total viewers, +22% (+5 tenths) in rating A18-49 and +18% (+5 tenths) in rating A25-54.

ONLINE

NBCPolitics.com saw over 3,180,000 page views and 992,000 video streams, including nearly 250,000 live streams of the debate.

The #nbcpolitics hashtag on Twitter was used over 25,000 times according to Topsy, and trended nationally during the debate.





  [october 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[10/26/26 - 11:32 AM]
ESPN's NBA Opening Week Delivered Its Largest Audience Since 2014
The Philadelphia 76ers' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers averaged 2.5 million viewers, up 26% from last year's comparable game.
[10/26/26 - 09:26 AM]
"CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton" Scores Nearly 5 Million Total Viewers on ABC and Disney+
The special ranked No. 1 in Total Viewers from 9-11 p.m. (4.74 million), leading its closest competitors in the timeslot by double digits.
[10/23/26 - 03:54 PM]
ESPN's NBA Opening Wednesday Delivered Its Second-Largest Audience Ever
The Minnesota Timberwolves' victory over the Miami Heat averaged 2.52 million viewers, up 16% from last year's comparable game.
[10/23/26 - 03:25 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 3 Since 1999, Best Ever on Cable
1.71 million viewers on average tuned into Wednesday night's Game 3 coverage across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network and CNBC) and streaming on Peacock.
[10/23/26 - 08:30 AM]
Record College Football Viewership Propels ESPN to Second Best Start Since 2011 with "College GameDay" on Track for Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks are averaging 2.2 million viewers across 120 games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU - the second-best start for ESPN since 2011.

[10/22/26 - 04:01 PM]
ABC News Wins Across Friday Night, Sunday Morning and Late-Night
"20/20: The Suitcase Murders" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.
[10/22/26 - 04:00 PM]
CBS Dominates Its Premiere Week in Seven-Day Multiplatform Viewership, Up +14% from Last Year, with Six Series Topping 10 Million Viewers
Among its broadcast competition, CBS claimed eight of the top 10 series.
[10/22/26 - 02:50 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers Most-Watched NBA Tip-Off Primetime Game Ever with 76ers-Knicks
Viewership peaked at 9.1 million - an NBA Tip-Off record - from 9:45-10:00 pm ET as the 76ers clinched the victory.
[10/22/26 - 02:00 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Waltzes to Season High During Heartfelt "Dedication Night" with 7.36 Million Total Viewers
The October 20 episode hit a season high with the show's best non-finale episode in six years.
[10/21/26 - 04:01 PM]
USA Sports' Coverage of Dream-Valkyries Game 2 Is Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 2 Ever on Cable
Monday night's coverage averaged 1.33 million viewers across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network, CNBC and E!).
[10/21/26 - 03:15 PM]
It's Back to School at "Abbott Elementary" as Show Returns with Over 6 Million Total Viewers
The premiere episode scored the show's best streaming performance since Season 4, based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
[10/21/26 - 02:31 PM]
Commanders-49ers on "Monday Night Football" Delivers 17.9 Million Viewers
Six weeks into ESPN's Super Bowl LXI season, "Monday Night Football" is up 23% compared to the same point in 2025, averaging 19 million viewers.
[10/21/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of October 12
"Carrie," "Neagley," "Reacher," "Off Campus," and "Sterling Point" led all original series worldwide.
[10/21/26 - 06:39 AM]
NFL Network's London Slate Culminates with 6.4M Viewers for Jaguars-Texans
Season to date, through three games in London, NFL Network is averaging 6.9M viewers, up 15% vs. the network's six-game International Series average last season.
[10/21/26 - 06:30 AM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 1 Ever
Led by Gabby Williams' 26 points, Golden State's 68-64 win over Atlanta peaked at 3.0 million viewers for the game's exciting conclusion from 5:45 - 5:55 p.m. ET.