Viewership for the the third GOP presidential debate plummeted nearly 50% compared to the first debate held in September.
The two-hour debate, hosted by NBC News and moderated by Lester Holt, Kristen Welker and Hugh Hewitt, was held in Miami on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Ratings showed an average of 7.51 million people tuned in to watch the five Republican presidential candidates spar largely on foreign policy, with viewers watching the program on linear television, digital and streaming platforms, according to NBC News. The debate was still the most-watched program Wednesday evening, topping The Country Music Awards on ABC.
The numbers show a stark drop compared to the 12.8 million viewers who watched the first debate in Milwaukee and the second debate held in Simi Valley, Calif., which attracted 9.5 million viewers.
Five candidates met the minimum donor and poll benchmarks put forth by the Republican National Committee to qualify for the debate. The participants included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, biotech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
Former President Trump, who is besting the GOP field in the polls by around 40 points, chose to skip out on the debate again and held a rally 10 miles away in Hialeah, Fla.
The fourth RNC debate is scheduled to be held on Dec. 6 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.