Too bad about the lack of substance; some people might have learned something.
Top Ratings for Penn. Debate
By Brian Stelter
More than 10 million viewers tuned into Wednesday’s Democratic debate on ABC, making it the most-watched debate of the primary election season.
The debate, the first to air on a weeknight on a broadcast network, attracted an average of 10.7 million viewers between 8 and 10 p.m., according to Nielsen Media Research.
Viewership of the debate peaked between 8:30 and 9 p.m. with 11.8 million viewers, topping the “reality” fare of “Deal or No Deal” on NBC and “Big Brother” on CBS. The broadcast faced stiffer competition at 9 p.m. when “American Idol” appeared on Fox and netted 22.7 million viewers. Still, ABC averaged over 10 million viewers in the second hour of the debate.
The presidential candidate debates have repeatedly broken viewership records during the hotly contested primary season. The bar was previously set in January when a Saturday night debate shown on ABC averaged 9.4 million viewers. CNN attracted almost as many viewers (8.3 million) for another Democratic debate in January.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/top-ratings-for-penn-debate/