More than 2.55 million viewers tuned in to Fox News Channel’s town hall with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday night, making it the most-watched town hall of this campaign cycle so far, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The live event, co-moderated by “Special Report” anchor Bret Baier and “The Story” anchor Martha MacCallum, also delivered 489,000 viewers in the 25- to 54-year-old age bracket that many advertisers cater to.
Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, provided Fox News with a considerable ratings bump compared to the same day last year. The network saw an increase of 24 percent in total viewers and 40 percent in the 25- to 54-year-old demographic.
Sanders appeared in a town hall on CNN on Feb. 26, delivering 1.4 million total viewers and 551,000 viewers in the 25- to 54-year-old demographic for the network.
{mosads}As the town hall aired Monday evening, MSNBC averaged 1.41 million total viewers. CNN came in third among the cable networks with 913,000 total viewers during the time slot of 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
President Trump criticized Fox News following the Sanders event, calling it “weird” to watch the Vermont senator on the network.
The Hill reported Tuesday that fellow Democratic presidential candidate South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg is also in talks to appear in a Fox News town hall event.
A Buttigieg campaign spokesperson told The Hill that “reaching out to the Fox audience is something we intend to do.”
The live events come after the Democratic National Committee (DNC) barred Fox News from hosting a Democratic presidential primary debate over the network’s reported close ties with the Trump administration. DNC Chairman Tom Perez said Monday that the party is not reconsidering its decision.