ABC U.S. presidential debate attracted 57.5 million TV viewers - preliminary Nielsen data

By Helen Coster

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. presidential debate between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump attracted 57.5 million television viewers across seven TV networks, according to preliminary Nielsen data on Wednesday.

Tuesday night's event was the first time the candidates in the Nov. 5 presidential election had met face to face.

The viewing figure tops the roughly 51 million people who watched Trump debate then-candidate President Joe Biden in June.

It does not capture the full extent of online viewing, which has grown in popularity as traditional TV audiences decline. Nor does it reflect viewers who watched the debate in bars and restaurants. Final audience data that includes those viewers will be available later on Wednesday.

The record TV audience for a presidential debate occurred in 2016, when 84 million people tuned in to watch Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton debate Trump.

(Reporting by Helen Coster)