NEW YORK – June 28, 2024 – An estimated 51.3 million people watched CNN’s presentation of the first presidential debate of the 2024 election season on Thursday, June 27, according to Nielsen.
The CNN Presidential Debate between President Biden and former President Trump aired live on CNN and was simulcast on an additional 16 television networks reported by Nielsen, from approximately 9:00 p.m. to 10:39 p.m. EDT. A full list of reported networks can be referenced at the bottom of the viewership table.
Below is a summary of average viewership aggregated across measured networks. The data is inclusive of U.S. audiences only.
CNN Presidential Debate
June 27, 2024 – Viewership Across Networks
Live plus same day, U.S. audience estimates
| Viewing Audience | Rating | |
| Persons 2+ | 51,265,000 | 16.3 |
| Households | 34,531,000 | 27.6 |
| Persons 18-34 | 4,502,000 | 6.4 |
| Persons 35-54 | 10,918,000 | 13.6 |
| Persons 55+ | 34,162,000 | 33.7 |
Source: Nielsen. NNTV, Live+Same-Day.
Data in this table is inclusive of broadcast and cable networks that aired the event. Reported networks include: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Scripps News, Telemundo, Univision, BET, CNN, CNNe, HLN, FOX Business, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, Newsmax, NewsNation, PBS.
Audience estimates are inclusive of out-of-home viewing for all reported networks except Newsmax, NewsNation, PBS and Scripps News which do not include out-of-home contributions.
Audience projections are rounded to the nearest thousand (000).
© 2024 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
Press Contact
Lauren Pabst
lauren.pabst@nielsen.com
