Ratings: ABC/Yahoo News Republican debate drew biggest audience of 2012 race so far

The ABC News/Yahoo News Republican presidential debate drew 7.58 million total viewers on Saturday night, making it the most-watched GOP debate of the 2012 campaign season so far.

The two-hour debate--moderated by Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos from Des Moines, Iowa--also drew 2.1 million 25-to-54-year-old viewers, according to Nielsen data, more from that age demographic than any other 2012 GOP debate has.

The next most-viewed debate was Fox News' Google co-hosted affair on Sept 22. in Orlando, Fla., which drew 6.11 million total viewers, including 1.7 million 25-to-54-year-olds.

Before Saturday, the most recent televised GOP primary debate--Nov. 22 on CNN--drew 5.48 million total viewers and 1.52 million adults 25-to-54.

MSNBC's Sept. 7 debate from the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., drew 1.73 million 25-to-54-year-olds, now second among all 2012 debates in that demographic.

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ABC and Yahoo's next primetime debate--from New Hampshire--is scheduled for Saturday, January 7 at 9 p.m.; the next GOP debate--co-hosted by Fox News and the Republican Party of Iowa--is slated for Thursday.

The debate ratings so far:

May 5, 2011 | Fox News
TOTAL VIEWERS: 3,258,000 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: 854,000

June 13, 2011 | CNN
TOTAL VIEWERS: 3,162,000 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: 918,000

August 11, 2011 | Fox News
TOTAL VIEWERS: 5,050,000 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: 1,426,000

Sept. 7, 2011 | NBC/MSNBC
TOTAL VIEWERS: 5,411,000 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: 1,728,000

Sept. 12, 2011 | CNN
TOTAL VIEWERS: 3,613,000 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: 1,132,000

Sept. 22, 2011 | Fox New/Google
TOTAL VIEWERS: 6,107,000 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: 1,701,000

Oct. 11, 2o11 | Bloomberg
TOTAL VIEWERS: N/A 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: N/A

Oct. 18, 2011 | CNN
TOTAL VIEWERS: 5,468,000 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: 1,651,000

Nov. 9, 2011 | CNBC
TOTAL VIEWERS: 3,332,000 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: 993,000

Nov. 12, 2011 | CBS
TOTAL VIEWERS: 5,480,000 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: 1,520,000

Nov. 22, 2011 | CNN
TOTAL VIEWERS: 3,599,000 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: 1,041,000

Dec. 10, 2011 | ABC/Yahoo News
TOTAL VIEWERS: N/A 25-TO-54-YEAR-OLDS: N/A

Source | Nielsen

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