Fewer than 50 million people watched Thursday night's presidential debate on linear televisions, 20 million fewer than watched the first clash of the 2020 cycle between President Biden and then-President Trump.
The CNN debate, which was simulcast by nearly every other broadcast and cable network, netted 47.9 million viewers, the network said, citing early data from Nielsen Media Research.
That total is well short of the more than 70 million who watched the September 2020 debate between Biden and Trump.