It may have been messy. But it drew a crowd.

The Democratic debate on Tuesday in South Carolina was watched by roughly 15.3 million viewers on CBS and BET, according to Nielsen, tied for the third-highest viewership total for a primary debate this election cycle.

Though it aired just six days after the candidates’ debate in Las Vegas, the quickest turnaround of the campaign, the debate was a ratings hit for CBS.

It was the first debate hosted this campaign season by the broadcast network, which is the most watched in the United States. Its audience on Tuesday far outpaced the roughly 10 million people who tuned into the network last week to watch prime-time dramas like “NCIS” and “FBI,” according to Nielsen. It was the network’s best Tuesday night of the television season.

About 550,000 viewers watched the debate on the cable channels BET and BET Her. The viewership total does not include people who streamed or watched it online.