Politics | Election 2016 Second Debate Loses Viewers 18% drop from the 84M people who watched the first one By Daniel Kay Posted Oct 10, 2016 3:11 PM CDT Copied Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton listens to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during the second presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Despite a dramatic lead-up, the second presidential debate saw a significant drop-off in viewers from the first, record-breaking contest. Across all 10 TV networks that carried the debate, the Hollywood Reporter counts a grand total of 68.8 million people who tuned in. That number is comparable to the 65.6 million people who watched the second debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in 2012. Every major network except NBC showed the debate; CNN scored the most viewers with 11.23 million on average. NBC opted to show a Sunday Night Football game instead of carrying the debate. Read These Next Actor Sam Rockwell gets residuals from movie he wasn't in. Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit against Fox News. New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. Rick Hurst, Dukes of Hazzards' dopey deputy, dies at 79 Report an error