The second 2016 Republican presidential debate aired on CNN last night from the Reagan Library and, just like the previous one, set a record for its network.
CNN said that the primetime debate averaged 22.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched debate in the cable network’s history. It was also the most-watched program in CNN’s history, beating out the 1993 Larry King Live episode with Vice President al Gore and Ross Perot, which drew 16.8 million viewers.
The most-watched debate on the network before Wednesday was the 2008 Democratic debate that drew only 8.3 million viewers.
The numbers were slightly lower than the 24 million viewers Fox News got last month for the first GOP debate.
Still, it’s clear that Donald Trump is making these debates must-see television. The next debate isn’t until Oct. 28 on CNBC and could have a much different feel with less candidates.
CNN’s debate smoked the programs on the main broadcast networks. The most-watched show on the networks was NBC’s America’s Got Talent finale, which only drew 9.54 million viewers, notes Zap2It.