page_title: 2016 United States presidential debates
section_title: Viewership
hierarchical_section_title: 2016 United States presidential debates / Commission on Presidential Debates-sponsored debates / Moderation / Viewership
caption_attribution_description: English: Patrons of Paddy's Pub in Philadelphia watching the first presidential debate on September 26, 2016
context_page_description: The 2016 United States presidential debates were a series of debates held for the presidential election.
  The Commission on Presidential Debates, a bipartisan organization formed in 1987, organized three debates among the major presidential candidates, sponsored three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debates. The first of these presidential debates took place on September 26, 2016, and set the record as the most-watched debate in American history, with 84 million viewers. The second debate took place on October 9, and the third took place on October 19. All CPD debates occurred from approximately 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EDT. Only the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and the Republican nominee Donald Trump met the criteria for inclusion in the debates, and thus were the only two to appear in the debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The CPD-sponsored vice presidential debate took place on October 4, 2016. Only Democratic nominee Tim Kaine and Republican nominee Mike Pence appeared in it.
context_section_description: According to Nielsen, the four broadcast networks and the three largest cable news channels averaged around 36 million viewers.
  
  
   
  Legend
   
  Total television viewers
   
  Viewers 25 to 54
caption: Patrons of a Philadelphia pub watching the debates
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