TV ratings for vice presidential debate lowest since 2000

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About 37 million people watched the vice presidential debate on broadcast and cable channels, making the matchup between Indiana Governor Mike Pence and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine the lowest-rated since 2000, according to Nielsen.

Comcast Corp.’s NBC was the most-watched network, drawing more than 7 million viewers for the contest.

Here’s how the top broadcast and cable networks fared (audience in millions): NBC 7.028; CBS 6.462; ABC 6.149; Fox News 6.065; CNN 4.140; MSNBC 3.122.

It was the smallest audience for a vice presidential debate since 2000, when 29 million people watched Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman square off. An estimated 51.4 million people watched the 2012 vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Republican Representative Paul Ryan, while about 70 million tuned in for the 2008 encounter between Biden and then-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, according to Nielsen.

The first presidential debate between Clinton and Trump on Sept. 26 drew a record political audience of at least 84 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

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