TV networks and advertisers are hoping for record-breaking viewership during Monday night's first presidential debate. While President Barack Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney garnered 67 million pairs of eyes during the first debate of the 2012 cycle, experts are predicting that the fervor over the competition between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump could draw even more people than ever before. To put the excitement over this cycle in perspective, Fox News has already set the all-time record for the highest-rated non-sports program on basic cable, when last August 24 million viewers tuned in for the first Republican debate.
The presidential debates don't have commercial breaks, but with the first debate being aired on CBS, NBC, MSNBC, ABC, Fox, CSPAN, and CNN, each network can choose its own pre- and post-debate coverage. That means advertisers are scrambling to fill the spots before and after the debate. And while the $200,000 to $225,000 price tag for a 30-second spot on CBS might sound like quite the chunk of change, Super Bowl ads run well into the millions (and Super Bowl 50 was watched last year by 111.9 million people).
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Bird flu worries mount as virus found in milk, cowsSpeed Read The FDA found traces of the virus in pasteurized grocery store milk
-
Palazzo Durazzo Suites in Genoa: a palatial gem in northern ItalyThe Week Recommends Live your Italian dream in this astonishing and recently restored palace in the heart of the city
-
Today's political cartoons - April 25, 2024Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - TikTok in the firing line, protests on campus, and more
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homesSpeed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bidSpeed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detenteSpeed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe feesSpeed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billionSpeed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
