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Biden averaged 15.1 million viewers during Thursday night's
90-minute discussion on Walt Disney Co's ABC broadcast network.
Trump pulled in 13.5 million for his 60-minute event across
Comcast Corp's broadcaster NBC and the company's MSNBC and CNBC
cable channels.
For the one-hour period that both Trump and Biden were on the
air, Biden averaged 14.3 million to Trump's 13.5 million.
The primetime town halls were scheduled after cancellation of a
debate that had been set for the same time. Trump pulled out of
the debate after it was changed to a virtual format.
During his event on ABC, Biden attacked Trump's handling of the
coronavirus pandemic. On NBC, Trump defended his
administration's response to the virus and his own personal
conduct.
NBC was criticized for scheduling Trump opposite Biden after ABC
had already set its event, forcing voters to choose which
candidate to watch live. Trump often brags about the size of his
television audiences.
In some markets, the events did not compete directly. In Los
Angeles, for example, ABC aired the Biden event live at 5 p.m.
Pacific while NBC broadcast a recording of Trump at 8 p.m.
Pacific.
Nielsen's figures reflect people who watched on television and
do not include others who streamed the events via digital
platforms, which are growing in popularity.
The combined audience - 27.6 million - came in much lower than
the massive viewership for the first debate between Trump and
Biden. That Sept. 29 matchup attracted 73.1 million people
across 16 networks.
A second debate between Trump and Biden is scheduled for
Thursday.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Aurora Ellis; Editing by
Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio)
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