Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

CNN GOP Debate Draws Monster Ratings; Matches Fox News With Almost 23 M TV Viewers, 4.5 M Streams
International Business Times ^ | 09/17/2015 | By Brendan James

Posted on 09/17/2015 7:59:42 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

CNN President Jeff Zucker is wearing a big smile today. CNN pulled in about 23 million viewers last night during the second Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. From 8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. EDT, CNN drew 22.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Fast National ratings data. The network essentially matched Fox News, whose debate last month -- the first in the Republican primary race -- earned 24 million viewers.

That's the kind of number that one sees on a popular network show like Fox's "Empire," which took in over 23 million viewers during its season finale back in April.

The network's own media correspondent, Brian Stelter, noted that CNN's best performing primary debate before Wednesday was between Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards in January of 2008, which averaged 8.3 million viewers.

Earlier Wednesday, Zucker was hedging in an interview when Huffington Post's Michael Calderone asked if CNN might draw more than Fox's 24 million viewers. "We have no expectation of that," Zucker said. "None. Absolutely none."

Rightwing radio host Hugh Hewitt, who served as a questioner during the CNN debate, had previously told anchor Don Lemon that "our audience is going to be bigger than the first debate."

CNN may not have surpassed Fox, but they essentially matched them, without the advantage of being first or a high-profile partnership with Facebook. Moderator Jake Tapper was bullish in the build up. “I hope we get the same or equal,” Tapper he told the Daily Beast, “but that’s a pretty high bar.”

Online, CNN's event peaked at 921,000 concurrent live streams and saw 4.5 million total live video starts of the debate across digital platforms, a significant number of that represents a growing population of cord-cutters who were allowed to watch without a cable TV subscription.

GOP front-runner Donald Trump reacted to the ratings on Twitter, asking for a gift bag:

___________________________________

Donald J. TrumpVerified account ‏@realDonaldTrump

Just announced that in the history of @CNN, last night’s debate was its highest rated ever. Will they send me flowers & a thank you note?

1:17 PM - 17 Sep 2015 4,121 4,121 Retweets 8,891 8,891 favorites

___________________________________

The channel pitched its debate as a more aggressive showdown than the first one hosted by Fox News, hyping a smaller audience and candidate-on-candidate combat. In a WWE-style intro, a classic announcer voice called the “double-header” debate an epic “rematch."

Wednesday's debate dethroned CNN's previously most-watched program ever, a special “Larry King Live” in 1993 that pitted Ross Perot against Al Gore, drawing 16.8 million viewers.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cnn; debate; ratings; republican
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

1 posted on 09/17/2015 7:59:42 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

So who gets the profit$?


2 posted on 09/17/2015 8:00:44 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Ive given up on aphostrophys and spell chek on my current devices...one uses Brit spel now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

MORE HERE:

http://adage.com/article/media/cnn-republican-debate-draws-23-million-viewers/300424/

CNN Republican Debate Draws Nearly 23 Million Viewers

Sets Record for Cable News Network, but Falls Short of Fox News GOP Debate


3 posted on 09/17/2015 8:01:14 PM PDT by SeekAndFind (What is the difference between Obama and government bonds? Government bonds will mature someday)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Paladin2

RE: So who gets the profit$?

I think CNN gets a huge chunk from ads.

SEE HERE:

http://adage.com/article/media/cnn-republican-debate-draws-23-million-viewers/300424/

EXCERPT:

Mr. Trump is also a big reason why CNN was able to charge about $200,000 for a 30-second spot in Wednesday night’s debate. That is 40-times more than the usual price of about $5,000 for a commercial on CNN in prime time. Indeed, Mr. Trump couldn’t resist a pointed remark in an interview after leaving the main stage. He noted that CNN must have had no trouble attracting advertisers, given the lengthy three-hour time slot for the event.

Digital viewing of the debate was also impressive. There were 921,000 peak concurrent live streams of the debate, according to CNN. That compares with 1.3 million for this year’s Super Bowl.


4 posted on 09/17/2015 8:02:32 PM PDT by SeekAndFind (What is the difference between Obama and government bonds? Government bonds will mature someday)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I thought they all tuned in to see Carly and Jeb.


5 posted on 09/17/2015 8:04:36 PM PDT by dforest
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Because of Trump, both stations had their highest ratings ever and they do nothing but bash him nonstop and push their little Carly, Carly, Carly. I’d like to see people tune in to these debates if he wasn’t on the state and see how many viewers they get. No one would sit through 2 - 3 hours to hear that harpie drone on and on.


6 posted on 09/17/2015 8:04:46 PM PDT by Catsrus (Trump/Cruz - the only 2 worth voting for. I callz 'em as I seez 'em.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Trump Trump Trump!!


7 posted on 09/17/2015 8:05:47 PM PDT by WENDLE (The big question is who will be VP!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Just announced that in the history of @CNN, last night’s debate was its highest rated ever. Will they send me flowers & a thank you note?

They should. Trump was the reason for their record ratings. People weren't tuned in to see Jeb.

8 posted on 09/17/2015 8:09:15 PM PDT by Inyo-Mono
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Inyo-Mono
The Donald

Sure didn't tune in for snarky Carly

Who is going to have a bad day tomorrow

9 posted on 09/17/2015 8:11:09 PM PDT by scooby321
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

[[CNN GOP Debate Draws Monster Ratings; Matches Fox News With Almost 23 M TV Viewers, 4.5 M Streams]]

And then a week later, after all the hoopla dies down, and people stop tuning in to hear blowhards bloviating about the debate, CNN’s viewership drops back to a piddly handful of low information people


10 posted on 09/17/2015 8:12:01 PM PDT by Bob434
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I wonder if they’ll break 5 million for the Democrat debate (if one ever happens.)


11 posted on 09/17/2015 8:12:36 PM PDT by Vic S
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Trump needs to stop going to these things— it just gives the also-rans in the Republican party more access..


12 posted on 09/17/2015 8:14:55 PM PDT by freespirit2012
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vic S

RE: I wonder if they’ll break 5 million for the Democrat debate (if one ever happens.)

Jake Tapper already announced the first Democrat debate for October 13 last night.

It will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada and moderated by Anderson Cooper

See here:

http://www.newsweek.com/anderson-cooper-first-democratic-debate-2016-373121


13 posted on 09/17/2015 8:15:00 PM PDT by SeekAndFind (What is the difference between Obama and government bonds? Government bonds will mature someday)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Three hours of CNN media propaganda is what we got for watching what was obviously the second biased fixed debate by ordained establishment moderators.

They should call it “The Let’s Discredit Donald Trump Debate - Part 2”. Their beef about Trump is fundamentally the core issue where the elites have a multicultural agenda to change the face of America by illegal immigration and to make economic and political victims out of the largest USA demographic group - White Heterosexual Protestant and Catholic Anglo Christians.

Their goal is to take down our traditional family values and they do it by taking down those who still have such values. Racism and bigotry by media against Christianity is certainly hunky dory to them.


14 posted on 09/17/2015 8:16:56 PM PDT by apoliticalone (Politicians need to pander to all the American citizens, not illegals, global corps, or oligarchs.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: apoliticalone
Rodger Ailes shitting in his pants Trump could bring down Fox by going somewhere else with his audience
15 posted on 09/17/2015 8:20:02 PM PDT by scooby321
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: apoliticalone

[Their goal is to take down our traditional family values and they do it by taking down those who still have such values. Racism and bigotry by media against Christianity is certainly hunky dory to them.]

What is going on is a movement being pushed (forced) by the global oligarchs called ‘Transnational

Progressivism’. They are trying to eliminate borders and nationalism by bringing in millions of people with

different cultures and skin color and are not permiting these cultures to assimilate. The result is a mess

that will help them bring about a need for a one world government.

In other words, a society based on individual rights, majority rule, national sovereignty, citizenship, and

the assimilation of immigrants must be changed to a system promoting “diversity” or group proportionalism.

Group proportionalism is the rule that each job type will have people that do that job in proportion to

their percentage of the population. If 13% of America is Black, then 13% of doctors will be black, etc.

As Brezinski has said in the past, these people plan for 500 years into the future.

Transnational Progressivism - 2 parts

http://www.quebecoislibre.org/021221-6.htm
http://www.quebecoislibre.org/030118-6.htm

And the original paper on Transnational Progressivism by John Fonte in 2002:

http://www.ngo-monitor.org/data/images/File/transnational_progressivism_08312002.pdf


16 posted on 09/17/2015 8:22:41 PM PDT by Vic S
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: dforest

Nah, they tuned in to see Scott Walker and were very disappointed!


17 posted on 09/17/2015 8:25:43 PM PDT by RightLady (Walker is my Man)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
4.5 M Streams

Correction. 4,499,999. I clicked off after the first 15 minutes. That was not a debate. It was the new narrative.
18 posted on 09/17/2015 8:31:07 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the Occupation Media. #2ndAmendmentMatters)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
CNN pulled in about 23 million viewers last night during the second Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. From 8:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. EDT, CNN drew 22.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Fast National ratings data.

That's why the debate lasted so long. CNN kept those record high advertising rates rolling in for almost three hours, the longest televised presidential debate ever.

19 posted on 09/17/2015 8:33:24 PM PDT by Will88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Trump should host his own debate.


20 posted on 09/17/2015 8:54:52 PM PDT by donna (Pray for Revival.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson