Ratings: ABC Hooks Most Viewers for Final Debate

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton during the third U.S. presidential debate at the Thomas & Mack Center on October 19, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tonight is the final debate ahead of Election Day on November 8.

It’s the great debate, Charlie Brown.

ABC was the most-watched broadcast network last night for the third and final 2016 presidential debate, which currently appears up from the second bout, but down from Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s record-setting initial meeting. Last night, the Disney-owned channel tied with NBC atop the key 18-49 demographic over those 90 minutes of primetime, however. ABC kicked the evening off with a traditional airing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

Including the entirety of Wednesday’s primetime, ABC stood alone as first in the main demo, though CBS actual took the overall-eyeball competition. Read about the debate’s earlier overnight Nielsen numbers here. Final TV ratings for the simulcast will come out this afternoon.

Also Read: Final Presidential Debate Ratings Grow From No. 2, But Nowhere Near Trump-Clinton 1

ABC was first in ratings with a 2.5 rating/8 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and second in total viewers with an average of 8.6 million, according to preliminary numbers. At 8 p.m., the Peanuts cartoon landed a 2.1/7 and 7.2 million viewers. The “Toy Story of Terror” special at 8:30 posted a 2.0/7 and 6.7 million viewers. The debate followed at 9, averaging a 2.8/8 and 9.8 million viewers over the 90 minutes it was scheduled for. The overrun and continuing coverage at 10:30 received a 2.2/7 and 7.7 million viewers.

NBC was second in ratings with a 2.2/7 and third in viewers with 7.7 million. “Blindspot” at 8 had a 1.3/4 and 5.6 million viewers. The 90-minute debate window averaged a 2.8/8 and 9.2 million viewers. The last 30 minutes of coverage at 10:30 got a 2.2/7 and 7.4 million viewers.

CBS was third in ratings with a 2.0/6, but first in viewers with 8.7 million. Before the debate, “Survivor” at 8 put up a 1.9/7 and 8.6 million viewers, helping the broadcaster pull away from the pack in that second stat. From 9-10:30, the network averaged a 2.2/6 and 9.3 million viewers. At 10:30, it received a 1.7/5 and 7.1 million viewers.

Also Read: Trevor Noah Rips 'Giant Novelty Dildo' Donald Trump's Debate Performance (Video)

Fox was fourth in ratings with a 1.9/6 and in viewers with 6.4 million. “Lethal Weapon” at 8 got a 1.7/6 and 6.6 million viewers, leading in to the debate. The debate at 9 averaged a 2.0/6 and 6.3 million viewers over the 90 minutes Fox stuck with it nationally.

Univision was fifth in ratings with a 0.8/2 and in viewers with 2.2 million.

Telemundo was sixth in ratings with a 0.6/2 and in viewers with 1.6 million.

Also Read: Jimmy Kimmel Moderates TV's Most Adorable Debate Focus Group (Video)

The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.5/2 and in viewers with 1.4 million. “Arrow” at 8 had a 0.6/2 and 1.8 million viewers. At 9, “Frequency” managed a 0.4/1 and 1.1 million viewers.

Malik Obama: 7 Things to Know About President Obama's Half-Brother (Photos)

After inviting three women who accuse Bill Clinton of sexual harassment and assault to last week's town hall debate, reports indicate that Donald Trump will invite President Obama's half-brother, Malik, to the final debate with Hillary Clinton in Las Vegas. While he supported his brother's campaign eight years ago, Malik says he has become disillusioned with the Democrats and has voiced his support for Trump. Here's what you need to know about the President's extended Kenyan family.
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Malik Obama was born in 1958 in Nairobi, two years before his father, Barack Obama, Sr. (shown here with a young Barack), traveled to Hawaii and met the President's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham. In his book, "Dreams of My Father," President Obama wrote about meeting Malik for the first time in 1985 and later introducing him to Michelle while visiting Kenya.
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In 2004, shortly before Barack Obama was elected to the Senate, the Associated Press interviewed Malik in the Obamas' ancestral home village of Nyangoma-Kogelo. He spoke about how he and his brother were the best man at each other's weddings and how he has retreated into his home village for privacy as Barack's political notoriety rose. During the Obama Presidency, he has become the official spokesperson for his family as reporters and curious travelers come to Kenya in search of the President's relatives.
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Malik reemerged in the news during the 2008 presidential election after he was falsely quoted in the Jerusalem Post saying that Barack Obama had a "Muslim background." ABC News later posted the interview from which the quote supposedly came from, revealing that he had only talked about his own Muslim background and that of his family in Kenya, not that of Barack's. The Jerusalem Post later took down the article.
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In 2013, Obama ran for governor of Siaya County in Kenya, but only received just under 700 votes. Still, in an interview with GQ taken during his campaign, he talked about how his village received much-needed water, power, and newly paved roads after his brother arrived in the White House and how he used that to counter criticism that he was riding off his family name to get votes.
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But as the Obama Administration forged into a second term, Malik began to have disagreements with his brother's policies. Among his complaints was the assassination of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 by rebels supported by the Obama Administration. Malik had been associated with Gadhafi, and dedicated his 2012 biography of his father to him.
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On July 24, Malik Obama formally announced that he would be supporting Donald Trump in the 2016 election, citing Hillary Clinton's email server controversy and the Democrats' support of same-sex marriage as major reasons why he switched to the Republican party. “I like Donald Trump because he speaks from the heart,” Malik Obama told The New York Post. “'Make America Great Again' is a great slogan. I would like to meet him.”
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Trump was quick to acknowledge the support, tweeting a few hours after Obama's announcement that he "was probably treated badly by [the] president like everybody else!" On Tuesday, it was announced that Malik Obama had been chosen as Trump's guest for the final presidential debate on the campus of UNLV.
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Muslim from Kenya, who’s expressed disillusionment with his Barack’s presidency, will be Trump’s guest at final presidential debate

After inviting three women who accuse Bill Clinton of sexual harassment and assault to last week's town hall debate, reports indicate that Donald Trump will invite President Obama's half-brother, Malik, to the final debate with Hillary Clinton in Las Vegas. While he supported his brother's campaign eight years ago, Malik says he has become disillusioned with the Democrats and has voiced his support for Trump. Here's what you need to know about the President's extended Kenyan family.

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Malik Obama: 7 Things to Know About President Obama's Half-Brother (Photos)

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