CNN says Tuesday’s debate was third most watched

Tuesday night’s GOP presidential debate was the third most viewed debate in this cycle, according to Nielsen ratings reported by CNN.

The 18 million viewers would also make the debate the third most watched primary debate in history.

{mosads}This year’s contests have attracted millions more viewers than past contests, a spike largely attributed to the inclusion of reality television star turned GOP front-runner Donald Trump. 

The top two rated debates of the year were the first contest hosted by Fox News in August, which won 25 million viewers, and the second GOP debate, hosted by CNN in September and winning 24 million viewers. 

According to the ratings reported by CNN, viewership ranks above the previous CNBC and Fox Business Network debates, which attracted about 14 million viewers each. 

The Tuesday night GOP debate would rank higher than both Democratic debates on CNN and CBS, which brought in 15 million and 8.5 million average viewers, respectively. 

The lower-than-average numbers for the CBS broadcast was partly attributed to its Saturday time slot. The next Democratic debate is also this Saturday, on ABC. 

The debates have brought in record numbers of viewers this year and have been a windfall for networks, which have reportedly charged high prices for ad time.  

Pew Research this week found about seven in 10 Americans say they have watched at least part of a primary debate this year. That is compared to just 43 percent who said the same during the 2007 campaign. 

— Updated at 4:35 p.m.