In the latest TV ratings, the second presidential debate amassed 23 million total viewers across ABC, CBS and NBC, down 20 percent from the broadcast-only numbers for last month’s first face-off, which also aired on Fox.
TVLine readers gave moderator Kristen Welker an average grade of “B,” compared to Chris Wallace’s “D-” at the first debate (and VP debate moderator Susan Page’s “C-“).
Update: With PBS, cable channels (including CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Newsmax and WGNA) and other outlets now factored in, the second debate drew a grand total of 63 million viewers, down 14 percent from the Sept. 29 debate.
Elsewhere….
CBS | Big Brother (4.3 mil/1.0, read recap) ticked up in audience and was steady in the demo week-to-week.
THE CW | Supernatural (925K/0.3, read recap) and The Outpost (464K/0.1) both dipped in audience while steady in the demo.
FOX | Thursday Night Football drew 7 mil and a 2.1, down 30 percent from the fast nationals for Fox’s previous hosting of the game.
The Live+Same Day numbers reported in our ratings column do not reflect a show’s overall performance, given the increased use of delayed playback via DVR and streaming platforms, plus out-of-home viewing. These numbers (Nielsen fast nationals, unless denoted as finals) instead aim to simply illustrate trends or superlatives. Warning: Contents may be hot!
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