UPDATE with final stats: An average of 14 million viewers tuned in to CNBC’s GOP debate last night, making it the most watched program in the network’s history. That includes 3.9M news demo viewers, and 3.4M viewers in the 18-49 age bracket.
The debate averaged 3.5 times as many total viewers and 1.8 times as many adults 25-54 as the network’s previous record holder, a February 22, 2002 Winter Olympics telecast. The debate averaged 4.2 times as many total viewers and 3.9 times as many adults 25-54 as had CNBC’s 2011 Republican presidential debate.
CNBC called it a “hard-hitting debate that changed the course of the Republican primary.” The RNC called it an embarrassment.
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Moderated by CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla, Becky Quick and John Harwood, the debate was held at the Coors Events Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
The 14M is a great number for any other presidential-race cycle at this stage. But 2016 is the cycle in which the race got turned into the country’s favorite reality TV series. For comparison sake, Fox News Channel’s GOP debate in August clocked 24 million viewers, and CNN’s GOP debate last month logged 23 million. These debates also set records for those cable news networks and for basic cable overall. CNN’s Democratic debate earlier this month averaged 16 million viewers, according to Nielsen stats.
Last night’s debate was also the first to air in the teeth of a World Series game.
CNBC’s debate was plenty zippy, but mostly because GOP candidates clashed with moderators. With questions like the one to Mike Huckabee as to whether “as a minister” he thought Trump has the “moral authority” to be President, the CNBC debate crew appeared to have had a strategy to provoke candidates into YouTube-ready moments. Problem was the candidates declined to play along. And CNBC seems to have forgotten that if there’s one thing that unites the GOP, it’s a sense of victimhood at the hands of “mainstream media.” CNBC pretty much handed an opportunity to any of the panelists. “This is not a cage match!” Cruz shot at CNBC after listening to Trump get asked if he is running a “comic book version of a presidential campaign.” For good measure, Cruz threw in that “nobody watching at home believes that any of the moderators have any intention of voting in a Republican primary.”
Trump took a victory lap in his closing statement, noting that if he can out-negotiate a ratings-starved financial network, just think what he can when negotiating with all those tough international rulers! Trump reminded viewers, on CNBC’s time, of his recent beat-down of the network over the debate length, elevating the event to a level of national importance.
“They lost a lot of money [on ad spots], everybody said it couldn’t be done. … And in about two minutes, I renegotiated it down to two hours so we could get the hell out of here.” CNBC’s John Harwood protested the debate was always going to be two hours. Trump disputed. The crowd cheered – and somewhere in Moscow…
Add another 10 million to 20 million people who watched on DIGG. One stream got shut down and another on popped up. No one gets CNBC. The rating were HUGE if you add all the people that watched it online. New Republican Speaker of House. Now we need a Republican President and more republicans in the Senate to move this county forward. 1st order of business Regulate the bias Media and hold them accountable and fine them for misleading headlines and reporting.
…And more conservatives need to be pumped, like life saving oxygen, into dying California with its loony “progressive” stranglehold.
“No one” gets CNBC?? It’s on every basic cable package I’ve ever gotten.
Right on…
John Harwood’s self-serving arrogant disrespectful question were rife with his personal answers in a manner to exploit his so called intelligence, which only reflected his pompous ignorance. Carl Quintanilla’s contemptuous smug reactions after every imperious questions he asked, were obviously were set up by NBC. Query, with so much make-up, was he going to a Halloween party after the debate? Becky Quick’s odium’s stacked questions for Senator Rubio regarding his absence from the Senate while running of President, seemingly were for Jeb Bush’s benefit to embarrass Rubio. Senator Cruz’s coup de grâce retort to all of the Machiavellian commenters was classic Shakespeare: “The questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media,” NBC’s autocratic megalomaniac response: “People who want to be president of the United States should be able to answer tough questions.” Is an insult to American people in their cunning efforts to distinguish the difference between tough questions and stacked questions, especially in a business wherein NBC knows or should know the difference. NBC fired Brian Williams because; “Brian jeopardized the trust millions of Americans at NBC.” John Harwood’s, Carl Quintanilla’s and Becky Quick’s actions were “inexcusable.” The hypocritical sword cuts both ways NBC!
…..if they can’t handle a few softball questions from reporters……how the hell they gonna handle Vladimir ? ? ?….. and besides ……..wouldn’t reporters from CNBC all be Republicans since they cover Wall Street ? ? ?……
Unfortunately for your world view, you are destined to learn time and time again that sensitivity equals passion, of which you may have difficulty exhibiting and therefore understanding. Oscar Wilde wrote, “The Greatest Tyranny the world has ever known is that of the weak over the strong.” The strong are sensitive, and as irony would have it, its the source of their passion. Good intentions pave the road to hell… but passion paves the road to paradise! OUr president should be human and warm and loving — people who have those genuine traits will find in their soul the courage to answer the toughest questions. Competition and cage fighting will not bring out these qualities. Sorry.
I think questions should be the same for all candidates, then and only then should it be considered fair and balanced.
John Harwood along with the rest of the Moderators did a fantastic job last night, the only ones who thought different were the candidates and Republicans. The Candidates and the GOP know they did a terrible job in answering the questions presented to them, so they attacked the moderators the network and the media for their failure to look Presidential. Not one of these candidates is fit to be the next President of the United States.
Watched just for the Lulz’
……next time I will skip the debate and watch ” Supergirl ” instead……. come to think of it ……. she would make a better president than any of those guys …….
Did I just read a moron write ted Cruz and Shakespeare in the same breath? You republicans have a competent governor who could really give hillary a run for her money in John kasich and u guys just brush him off cuz he’s not a crazy lunatic that preaches the racist, fear mongering bs the party loves to hear get a grip people I personally don’t like hillary but she’s more ready to lead than the idiots the gop covets
Blow it out your ass.. Raul
How is wanting illegal criminals out of the country racist? A black man is tied for top spot in republican polls. Then.mexico is racist because they lock illegals up and many starve to death in their gulag style jails. And ben carson is higher in the polls than.obama was at this time in 2007 democrat primary. You liberals scream racist about everything devaluing the charge. I forgot in liberal land facts dont matter.
Thomas Moore, you poor thing. Did your mommy let you stay up to watch the debate. The 3 clowns asking questions must have made you giggle. Get to sleep now, it’s getting late. nynite.