The CBS News/National Journal Republican presidential primary debate drew nearly 5.3 million viewers Saturday night according to preliminary Nielsen ratings.
It was the first debate to air on broadcast television and despite facing stiff competition from college football and boxing matches airing on Fox and pay-per view still managed to attract a large enough audience to rank as the fifth-most watched debate of the current election cycle.
The debate wasn’t without some glitches as the network ended its national broadcast after an hour and switched to an internet livestream which crashed from the surge of viewers.
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