The latest Republican primary debate on Fox saw a significant decline in viewership, recording the smallest TV audience since the GOP debates began in 2015 with Donald Trump, as noted by NBC.
Data from Nielsen Media Research revealed that the debate, hosted at the Reagan Library on Wednesday, garnered just over 9 million viewers. This was a dip of 3.5 million compared to the previous month’s figures.
The debate, which was broadcast across Fox Business, Fox News Media channels, and Univision, accumulated a total of 9.5 million viewers, with 1.8 million belonging to the age bracket of 25-54, as mentioned by The Hill.
Fox’s initial debate in Milwaukee in August also witnessed a significant ratings decrease, pulling in nearly half the audience compared to the inaugural GOP debate in 2016.
The former President, Donald Trump, abstained from the first two GOP primary debates this year. His reasons included leading the polls by a substantial margin and a perceived strained relationship with Fox, as covered by The Hill.
Concurrently, on the night of the debate, Trump gave a prime-time speech in the suburbs of Detroit. He drew attention to the ongoing debate during his address, leading to noticeable audience disapproval. He commented about competing with the “job candidates”.
In a conversation with the Daily Caller the following day, Trump hinted that the Republican Party might benefit from discontinuing future debates, deeming them unfavorable for the party. As for the upcoming debate scheduled for November 8 in Miami, Trump opined that it’s unlikely for any candidate to stand out.
