It’s Official: Biden beats Trump in town hall television ratings

In a result that reportedly even left some ABC News staffers surprised, the network’s town hall with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden defeated a competing event with President Donald Trump on NBC that rather infamously aired during the same time slot.

According to Nielsen numbers released Friday, the Biden event was watched by 13.9 million viewers on ABC, easily besting Trump’s NBC spectacle, which drew just 10.9 million viewers. The Trump event’s total viewership was dwarfed by Biden’s even though Trump’s was simulcast on CNBC and MSNBC: as CNN noted, the three networks combined for roughly 13 million viewers, a total that still lagged behind the Biden event.

Before Thursday night’s town hall with Trump aired on NBC—a last-minute decision that was broadly panned—outlets reported that the president was banking on a ratings windfall.