24 million benchmark:
Minus - 25% Trump supporters, who won’t admit tuning in
Minus - 35% Other already locked up supporters that tuned in earlier to watch their guy, but are no longer interested in live debates (me)
Minus - 20% Democrats that tuned in only for the spectacle of seeing Trump
That leaves what? 4.8 million republican viewers.
How many Republicans voted in the 2012 primaries? ~20 million. So I’m guessing that about 25% of the potential primary voters will be watching live with about triple that (me) tracking the subsequent reporting.
Sounds reasonable. Roger Ailes is going to take a huge hit to his wallet. He may lose 75% of potential advertising revenue.