Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (L) and Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain (R) take part in the first presidential debate at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi ,September 26, 2008. REUTERS/Chip Somodevilla/Pool

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The nationally televised debate last week between presidential contenders John McCain and Barack Obama drew 52.4 million U.S. viewers, far below 1980’s record audience, Nielsen Media Research reported on Monday.

The tally for Friday’s 90-minute debate between the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees also fell just shy of the 52.7 million viewers who tuned in last Wednesday to see President George W. Bush’s prime-time address urging swift congressional action on the financial crisis.

The McCain-Obama matchup fell well short of the 80.6 million viewers who watched the October 28, 1980, debate between then-President Jimmy Carter and his Republican challenger, Ronald Reagan. That is still a record audience for a televised U.S. presidential debate.