The first night of CNN’s Democratic debate drew 8.7 million television viewers, down from the 15.3 million that tuned into the first night of the June debates on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo. | Paul Sancya/AP Photo 2020 democratic debates Democratic debate on CNN sees steep ratings drop

The first night of CNN’s Democratic debate in Detroit drew 8.7 million television viewers, a steep drop from last month’s event hosted by NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo.

The June event brought in 15.3 million viewers across the three networks on Night One, with 18.1 million tuning in for the second night, a Democratic primary record.


CNN also announced that 2.8 million watched via livestream on the network’s platforms. NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo said they drew more than 9 million onlinestream viewers on the first debate night in June across their own digital properties, along with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The TV networks that sponsored last month’s Democratic debate had the advantage of being first, broadcasting at a time when viewers were curious to see the sprawling field onstage for the first time, and of airing across broadcast, cable and Spanish-language television. Viewership can also be expected to decrease in the middle of the summer, with the final two days in July a tough slot to draw eyeballs.

Still, it’s a significant decrease and comes after the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Tom Perez, touted ratings last month as evidence of enthusiasm in the party. “People understand that democracy is not a spectator sport,” he told POLITICO in Miami.

CNN’s moderators on Tuesday tried to avoid some of the onstage interruptions and cross-talk of last month’s debate by rigidly enforcing time limits, a strategy that kept down the chatter but also drew criticism for abruptly cutting off the candidates.