Overview

• The third Republican presidential debate saw a significant drop in viewership, with only 7.5 million tuning in compared to the first debate's 13 million viewers.
• The five remaining Republican presidential hopefuls, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, participated in the debate.
• Former President Donald Trump, who is leading the GOP field in the polls by around 40 points, chose to skip the debate and held a rally 10 miles away.
• The Country Music Awards (CMA) also experienced a decline in viewership, with a 10% decrease from the previous year and a record low in the 18-49 demographic.
• The fourth Republican National Committee debate is scheduled to be held on Dec. 6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.