Vance-Walz Didn't Match the Super Bowl. It Was More Comparable to an NFL Playoff Game in Terms of Viewership.

The debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz wasn’t one for the record books. An estimated 43 million people tuned in to watch Vance and Walz square off Tuesday, according to Nielsen, in what was likely the last candidate matchup before the November election. That’s about 15 million fewer than watched the vice presidential debate in 2020 and a 35 percent drop from the number who tuned in last month when Vice President Kamala Harris squared off with former President Donald Trump in their only debate, Nielsen said Wednesday. The debate, which was hosted by CBS News, drew those 43 million people across 15 networks including ABC, FOX, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC. FOX said that early data showed it drew the biggest audience, with 10.4 million viewers across its channels. The roughly 90-minute debate was an overall cordial, policy-heavy discussion that featured candidates taking more shots at each other’s running mate than their on-stage opponent. Vance was more at ease behind the podium, while Walz started off stumbling over his words and appeared nervous but found his footing a bit more later on in the night. Four years ago, 58 million people watched Harris debate then-Vice President Mike Pence. It was the second-largest viewership for a vice presidential debate, after nearly 70 million viewers watched Sarah Palin and Joe Biden in 2008. The number of viewers for vice presidential debates is typically lower than the presidential matchups. The presidential debate last month between Trump and Harris garnered 67 million viewers, an increase from the June debate between Trump and Biden, which drew 51 million viewers.

AM TROIB News