FOX News Media draws 12.8 million total viewers for ‘Democracy 24: FOX News Republican Primary Debate’

FOX News Media’s "Democracy 24: FOX News Republican Primary Debate" drew a staggering 12.8 million total viewers on Wednesday night, making it the most-watched, non-sporting event cable telecast of the year.

The debate drew 2.8 million viewers from the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54, and outdrew 70% of presidential primary debates in the 2016 and 2020 cycles.

Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum moderated that debate that featured North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

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FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace sent a memo to staffers celebrating the successful event. 

"Congratulations to our entire all-star team behind last night’s debate which was the highest rated non-sports cable telecast of the year with nearly 13 million viewers across all of our linear, digital, and streaming platforms," Scott and Wallace wrote. 

"Everyone’s immeasurably hard work over the last several months was on display throughout every facet of the phenomenal production and we are extremely proud of the staff who made everything possible down to the smallest of details. Most notably, our co-moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum did a fantastic job and made FOX News Media shine on every level," Scott and Wallace continued. "Last night was one of many reasons why we are the best team in the business."

The debate, which aired on Fox News Channel, FOX Business, FOX Nation and on Fox News Digital, drew a larger audience than the network’s previous debate in Iowa in January 2016 without then-candidate Donald Trump which averaged 12.5 million total viewers.

Fox News Channel drew 11.1 million total viewers and 2.4 million in the critical demo alone to top Paramount’s "Yellowstone," for the most-watched, non-sport cable program of 2023. It also outdrew programming on ABC, CBS, NBC combined. 

FOX Business attracted another 1.7 million total viewers with 401,000 in the demo. 

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FOX News Digital had a record day of engagement across key performance indicators, notching triple digit increases in key categories, according to Adobe Analytics. 

FOX News Digital properties drove an average minute audience of nearly 200,000 from 9-11 p.m. ET, marking the platform’s highest day of minutes watched on the Fox News livestream in 2023. 

FOX News Digital saw over 125 million page views for the day, and during the debate piled up over 20 million minutes watched, with users averaging about 30 minutes per viewer. Fox News also remained No. 1 in total social engagement among the news competitive set across Facebook, X and Instagram with over 694,000 social interactions, according to Emplifi.

Fox News averaged 6.8 million viewers from 7-11 p.m. ET, with a lineup that included "The Ingraham Angle," a special 30-minute edition of "Jesse Watters Primetime," "Countdown to the Debate" anchored by Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer and the debate itself. 

FOX Business will host the second GOP presidential primary debate on Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, California. Additional details about the second debate will be announced in the coming weeks.

All ratings data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research. 

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