Vance-Walz Debate Draws 43.2 Million Viewers, Down 25% From 2020 VP Faceoff
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Wednesday’s vice presidential debate between Republican candidate JD Vance and Democratic nominee Tim Walz was mostly free of fireworks, and that was perhaps reflected in the ratings for the event as well. The debate, produced by CBS News and moderated by the Eye’s Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, drew approximately 43.2 million viewers — down 25% from the 2020 vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, which averaged 57.9 million viewers. The CBS debate was simulcast on ABC, Fox, NBC, PBS, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, NewsNation, Merit Street Media, Scrippts News, CNN en Español, Fox Business Network, NBC Universo and Newsmax, and ran from 9 p.m.