Related: Palin Makes First California Appearance after Nomination, Critizing Obama
The debate between Democratic Senator Joe Biden and Republican Alaska governor Sarah Palin drew a whopping audience of 69.9 million, becoming the most watched vice presidential debate in the U.S. history.
According to Nielsen Media data, the debate set a new record for a VP debate, beating the previous high of 56.7 million viewers set by the VP debate between Democratic Rep. Geraldine Ferraro and then-vice president George H.W. Bush in 1984, the very first time of featuring a woman on a national ticket.
The Biden-Palin showdown also overshadowed their running mates' first debate on Sept. 26 by 33.4 percent.
The audience for the presidential debate between Democratic Senator Barack Obama and Republican Senator John McCain stood at 52.4 million.
The Biden-Palin debate had been expected to be a TV hit because of growing public interest on Palin's performance, due to the 44-year-old first-term female governor's largely unknown political skills and her mistakes made during recent interviews.