‘I got you the highest debate ratings in your history’: Donald Trump attacks Fox News following debate
During the debate, Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly asked Trump about his use of such language and whether it reflected the “temperament of a man we should elect as president”.
A staggering 24 million viewers tuned in to Fox News to watch the first major Republican US presidential debate, the highest-rated non-sports telecast in cable television history, Nielsen figures showed.
The viewership of the primetime 9pm to 11pm debate, in which frontrunner billionaire Donald Trump squared off against nine of his top Republican challengers for the nomination, is by far the highest rating of any presidential primary debate.
“Fox had 24 million viewers last night. That is an absolutely monster number,” tweeted Fox media commentator Howard Kurtz.
Ratings monitor Nielsen Media Research said that among the telecast’s viewers, 7.9 million were in the 25-54 age range, the key advertising demographic.
By comparison, the first Republican debate of the 2012 primary season, on May 5, 2011, averaged 3.3 million viewers.
Numbers were also huge for the second-tier debate which took place at 5pm and featured the seven low-polling candidates who failed to make the cut for the prime time event. Some 6.1 million people watched the preliminary debate, Nielsen said.