The second presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton attracted about 68.8 million viewers on Sunday night according to numbers released by Nielsen Media Research. This marks a drop of about 18 percent from the first round, which drew a record-breaking audience of 84 million.
Many analysts are pointing to the influence of “Sunday Night Football” on NBC, which pulled in 15 million gridiron fans. The end-of-weekend game has been a popular and habitual destination for viewers for years.
Still, the audience was a respectable size for the spirited debate, fueled by revelations about Mr. Trump’s “hot mic” tape and Mrs. Clinton’s revealing leaked emails. It just misses the record audience of 70 million who tuned in for a second presidential debate, set during the 1992 encounter between then President George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot,
Among the specific numbers for cable news channels on Sunday night: CNN drew a total audience of 11 million; Fox News Channel was right behind with 10 million. MSNBC garnered 5.5. million viewers.
And among the major broadcast networks, CBS won handily with an audience of 16.4 million, while ABC drew 11.5 million. NBC was occupied with the match between the Giants and Packers.
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• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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