Obama’s simulcast is the first to be aired by a presidential candidate since Ross Perot ran a political telecast on the eve of Election Day in 1996. That program was watched by 16.8% of all households nationwide.
Ross Perot also ran a series of 15 political telecasts during the 1992 presidential election.
In comparison, the final debate between the two presidential candidates received a 38.3 household rating in the top 56 local TV markets. The candidates’ first debate on September 26 received a 34.7 household rating in the top 55 markets; their second debate, on October 7, received a 42.0 household rating in those markets.
Among the top 56 local metered markets, the Baltimore market had the largest TV audience, with a household rating of 31.3, while the Portland market had the lowest household rating: 14.2.
One rating point equals 1% of the total TV households in a given market.
| Rank (by H.H. rating) | Market | Market Rank (by population size) | Household Rating (% of U.S. households that watched debate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 26 | 31.3 |
| 2 | Philadelphia | 4 | 29.0 |
| 3 | West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce | 38 | 28.0 |
| 4 | Nashville | 29 | 27.3 |
| 5 | Greensboro-H.Point-W.Salem | 46 | 27.2 |
| 6 | St. Louis | 21 | 27.1 |
| 7 | Washington, DC (Hagrstwn) | 9 | 26.8 |
| 8 | New York | 1 | 26.2 |
| 9 | Boston (Manchester) | 7 | 25.7 |
| 10 | Hartford & New Haven | 30 | 25.1 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company (October 29, 2008). | |||
View ratings for Nielsen’s 56 top local metered markets.
Obama’s infomercial aired live on CBS, NBC, FOX, UNIVISION, MSNBC, and NY1 Wedne