The first presidential debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump drew 84 million U.S. television viewers Monday night, a record for such an event and a number rarely seen in the age of digital streaming and social media.
The audience beat the 1980 record of 80.6 million set by the Jimmy Carter-Ronald Reagan debate but fell short of the 100 million viewers some analysts had predicted.
The estimated ratings figure from Nielsen included people who watched the raucous encounter across 13 cable and broadcast networks and the public station PBS.