The Republican Party can thank Donald Trump for this.
Thanks to Donald Trump the Cleveland FOX News debate drew the largest audience ever for a primary debate.
Without Donald Trump this event would have been lackluster at best.
CNN Money reported:
Early overnight Nielsen ratings suggest that Thursday’s Republican debate was not just the most-watched primary debate in history — it may have been twice as big as the previous record-holder.
The debate on Fox News had a 16.0 household rating between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., according to Nielsen.
Translation: 16% of United States homes with TV sets tuned in.
Fox News usually has 1% or 2% of the household audience.
For the sake of comparison, the highest-rated Republican primary debates in 2011 and 2012 were watched by approximately 5% of households.
The Democratic primary debates in 2008 were bigger, but none of those ever topped 10% .
Interest in Donald Trump’s candidacy almost certainly drove viewership on Thursday night.
