As a seasoned gamer who has witnessed countless battles in the virtual world, I can say that the 2024 vice presidential debate was more like a friendly match compared to the intense clash between Biden and Trump or Harris and Trump in previous years. With only 38.62 million viewers on the big four broadcast networks and cable news outlets, it feels like we’re playing a low-stakes game instead of the high-stakes political drama we’ve grown accustomed to.
In 2024, only one debate took place between the two significant vice presidential candidates from the main parties, and it attracted a considerable crowd. However, it didn’t draw as many spectators as four years prior.
Initial viewership estimates for the debate between Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Democratic vice presidential candidate, and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, Republican nominee, reveal that approximately 38.62 million people watched on the four primary broadcast networks and the top three cable news channels (CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC). Additionally, an extra 255,000 viewers tuned in via Fox Business.
The projected final viewership, anticipated to incorporate additional networks, is estimated to range from 45 million to 50 million viewers. This aligns with the traditional average for Vice Presidential debates; however, it falls significantly short of the impressive 57.92 million viewers who tuned in to watch the 2020 debate featuring Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris (currently at the helm of the Democratic ticket this election year).
Before the 11 vice presidential debates held between 1976 and 2020, excluding the one in 1980, typically attracted an average of approximately 46.5 million viewers.
CBS News organized and hosted the debate, with Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan serving as moderators. CBS had the highest viewership of any single channel, boasting 9.14 million viewers. Fox News came in second with 7.69 million viewers, followed by ABC (6.1 million), NBC (5.44 million), MSNBC (4.65 million), CNN (3.18 million), and the Fox broadcast network (2.42 million) in that order.
As a gamer, I’ve seen the hype around Vice Presidential debates vary quite a bit over the years. The highest viewership was back in 2008, with approximately 69.9 million people tuning in to watch Joe Biden and Sarah Palin go head-to-head. On the other hand, the lowest number of viewers was recorded in 1996, with just 26.6 million people watching Al Gore and Jack Kemp debate. Over the past four decades, the average audience for these debates has been about 25% smaller than those for presidential debates.
On average, the two presidential debates held this year attracted approximately 59.2 million viewers – 51.27 million tuned in to watch Biden and Trump in June prior to Biden’s decision to end his re-election campaign, while 67.14 million watched Harris and Trump face off in September.
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2024-10-02 22:54