The Nov. 20 Democratic presidential debate captured only 6.6 million viewers, by far the lowest number in the 2020 cycle.
The debate, hosted by MSNBC and the Washington Post, drew 6.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
MSNBC said the online broadcast brought in more than 1.3 live streams, reported the Wall Street Journal.
The viewing figures were lower than all of the previous debates but Andy Lack, chairman of MSNBC and NBC News, didnt note the low figures in a memo to staff.
“We took a completely blank canvas—a sound stage at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta—and turned it into a stunning debate venue worthy of the moment,” he said in the memo, according to Variety. Staffers “knocked it out of the park.”
The October debate, hosted by CNN, saw 8.5 million viewers. Some 14 million viewers tuned into the September debate, hosted by ABC, and the start of single night debates.
CNN carried the second round of debates over two nights in July, drawing 9.2 million on the first night and 8.6 million on the second night.
NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo still boast the best ratings of the cycle for the first round of debates in June, drawing in 15.2 million on the first night and 18.1 million on the second night.
