Presidential debate ratings dropped substantially from 2016, with a 35% decrease in TV viewership

People sit and watch a broadcast of the first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at The Abbey, with socially distanced outdoor seating, on September 29, 2020 in West Hollywood, California.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Despite some billing Tuesday night's debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden being billed as potentially the most watched debate in US history, the early ratings paint a different picture.
Nielsen found TV