The presidential debate between Biden and Trump was the most watched event of the summer

Top line

A summer of quadrennial events — and unprecedented political upheaval — sent television viewing soaring and caused tens of millions of people to tune in to live specials, with the summer's viewership driven largely by the groundbreaking first and only presidential debate between Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

Key data

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Large number

30.6 million. That's the average number of people who watched the Paris Olympics each day during the two-week broadcast on NBC and Peacock, according to the network — watching various exploits by Simone Biles, Steph Curry, LeBron James, French swimmer Léon Marchand and Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec — but not all of them tuned in to a single event at the same time. That viewership figure is comprised of viewers of the primetime broadcast in Paris (2 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT) and the primetime telecast in the U.S. (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.). Events on the Games' opening Sunday, including the gymnastics qualifying matches, Marchand's gold medal in the 400 individual medley and the U.S. women's rugby victory over Brazil, drew the most viewers of any day, with 41.5 million viewers across platforms.

Tangent: Millions watched the TV news after Trump’s assassination

Tens of millions of people also turned to news outlets on July 13 after Trump was hit in the ear by a bullet during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. On that Saturday, a day when ratings are usually low for news outlets, more than 19 million people tuned in to Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC and CBS at 8 p.m. EDT to learn about the attempt on his life.

Important background

The presidential debate between Trump and Biden, the Democratic nominee at the time, forever changed the 2024 electoral landscape. Biden was seen as confused and unable to make a clear argument, leading party members to pressure him to drop out of the race and make way for a new candidate. A month later, he withdrew from the race and his running mate Harris stepped in. What followed was a blitz in which Harris announced her candidacy, which included the nomination of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate and brought a reshaping of the competitive landscape between her and Trump.

What you should pay attention to

Trump and Harris have agreed to their first debate scheduled for September 10 on ABC News.

More information

ForbesOver 51 million people watched the Trump-Biden debate on television – significantly fewer than in 2020From Molly BohannonForbes23 million viewers watch Biden's speech in the Oval Office on his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election campaignFrom Mark JoyellaForbesHarris narrowly beats Trump in terms of viewership of her convention speeches – DNC closing night draws 26 million viewersFrom Antonio Klein IVForbesOlympic Games in Paris: 28.6 million viewers at the opening ceremony; the most watched event in 12 yearsFrom Marc Berman