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
[05/08/26 - 09:18 AM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most-Watched MLB Regular Season Start Since 2015
The Yankees/Mariners season opener on March 31 delivered 562,000 viewers and peaked at 735,000, making it the most watched opener on TBS since 2012.

[05/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Strong Month of Sports Propels ESPN Studio Shows to Record Viewership for April
The entire lineup of ESPN studio shows was up 21% overall in viewership over April of 2025 and up 10% year-over-year (YOY) in the coveted Persons ages 18-49 demographic.

[05/05/26 - 03:52 PM]
ESPN Networks Aired Its Most Viewed First Round of the Current Rights Deal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
ESPN also delivered three of the top five matchups in the First Round including the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 (2.1 million viewers).

[05/05/26 - 03:36 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History for Saturday Night's 76ers-Celtics
Saturday night's matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 11.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.

[05/05/26 - 02:33 PM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Ever
Game 7 of the Montreal/Tampa Bay series on Sunday, May 3 averaged 2.3 million viewers, the most-watched First Round game on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.

[05/05/26 - 02:24 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Flexes Double-Digit Season-to-Date Viewership Increase
2,130,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX on Saturday, May 2, for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cardinals' 3-2 Victory over the Dodgers in most of the country.

[05/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of April 27 - The Hunt Continues as "Apex" Takes No. 1 for a Second Week
Plus: Revenge might be a dish best served cold, but "Man on Fire" served it up hot, reaching No. 1 on the English TV list with 11 million views.

[05/03/26 - 02:40 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers the Most-Watched Kentucky Derby on Record, Averaging 19.6 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock in Historic "Run for the Roses"
Viewership peaked at 24.4 million viewers from 7-7:15 p.m. ET, as jockey Jose Ortiz guided Golden Tempo around the final turn to win by a neck over Renegade, and made Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.

[05/01/26 - 01:33 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Jumps Back from Spring Break with Fifth Straight Week of Growth Among Both Total Viewers and Households
Dominating the New York market, "Live with Kelly and Mark" towers over its closest competition this season by double and triple digits in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54.

[05/01/26 - 08:05 AM]
NBC Sports' NBA Playoff Viewership on NBC & Peacock Up 58% vs. Comparable Coverage Last Year Through First 13 Games
This is the first time in 24 years that NBC Sports is presenting the NBA Playoffs.

[04/30/26 - 02:17 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers Sunday Morning and in Late-Night
ABC News' "Nightline" ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers (931,000) for the week of April 20.

[04/29/26 - 04:01 PM]
"American Idol" Scores 5.3 Million Total Viewers with Biggest Audience in Over 2 Months During Taylor Swift Night
Monday's episode was the No. 1 entertainment program on the night among Total Viewers (5.34 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.42 rating).

[04/29/26 - 02:41 PM]
Record Breaker! ESPN Airs Most-Viewed First Round Game 5 Ever on Cable, Extending Milestone Run of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday averaged 2 million viewers, up 190% vs. ESPN's First Round Game 5 average last year.

[04/28/26 - 03:41 PM]
TNT Sports Continues Viewership Surge for 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
Minnesota's Game 4 victory over Dallas on Saturday averaged 1.9 million viewers on TBS, truTV and HBO Max.

[04/28/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of April 20 - Charlize Theron Climbs to No. 1 with "Apex" in This Week's Top 10
Another warning to be careful who you trust, the psychological thriller series "Unchosen" debuted at No. 1 on the English TV list with 10.4 million views.