NEW YORK: The US presidential debate between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump attracted 67.1 million television viewers, according to Nielsen data released on Wednesday.
Tuesday night's event was the first time the candidates for the November 5 presidential election met face to face.
The viewership figure surpasses the roughly 51 million people who watched Trump's debate with then-candidate President Joe Biden in June.
It doesn't capture the full magnitude of online viewing, which has grown in popularity as traditional television audiences decline.
The record television audience for a presidential debate came in 2016, when 84 million people tuned in to watch Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton debate Trump.
