The stage of NBC News' GOP debate on Jan. 23, 2012. (AP)
More than 7 million people watched NBC's Republican presidential debate on Monday, according to preliminary Nielsen estimates--making it the second most-watched debate of the 2012 cycle behind ABC's Dec. 10 debate broadcast, which drew 7.63 million.
It was also a bit of a strategic ratings coup for Brian Williams.
NBC is claiming the debate was a special edition of NBC's "Rock Center," boosting the overall ratings of Williams' weekly newsmagazine.? "Rock Center" normally draws about 3.5 million total viewers, putting it on par with cable news shows but well behind primetime offerings from NBC's network rivals.
Last week's "Rock Center," for instance, was watched by 3.04 million people, according to Nielsen; Fox News' "The Factor" with Bill O'Reilly drew 3.6 million as a lead-in to Fox News' Jan. 16 debate.
A spokeswoman for NBC News did not immediately return a request seeking comment regarding the "Rock Center" debate label.
To be fair, if NBC was, indeed, trying to pull a fast one over on the Nielsen-scouring wizards, they were being pretty open about it. Monday's 90-minute debate was immediately followed by a "Rock Center"-produced piece on NBC's campaign embeds. And the debate itself featured an alternating on-screen "Rock Center" logo.Still, while the debate roughly doubled the audience for Williams and co., NBC lagged in fourth place for the night behind Fox ("Alcatraz" drew 8.95 million viewers), ABC (new episodes of "The Bachelor" and "Castle") and CBS, which was broadcasting reruns of "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men" and "Mike & Molly."
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