CNN ratings record

"The Republican debates have drawn NFL-like ratings thanks to Donald Trump.

In the words of one 2016 presidential candidate, ratings for Wednesday’s primetime Republican presidential debate were yuuuuuge.

According to Nielsen data, the three-hour broadcast drew an average of 22.9 million viewers, making

it the most-watched program in CNN history, eclipsing the 16.8 million viewers who tuned in to watch Larry King host an informal debate between Al Gore and Ross Perot in 1993. It also shattered the mark for CNN’s previously most-watched presidential primary debate, a 2008 Democratic debate that averaged 8.3 million viewers.
To put these numbers in perspective, the early primary debates during the 2012 presidential campaign drew between 4 million and 5 million viewers" yahoo