ABC's GOP debate takes the ratings crown

Score one for ABC News in the ratings department. Saturday night's GOP debate was the most-watched of the 2012 campaign as an average of 7.6 million viewers tuned in to watch the presidential candidates take on such hot topics as unemployment and immigration.

Despite a relatively late start time -- 9 p.m. on the East Coast -- 2.1 million of those viewers were in the key adults 25-54 demographic. Both of those numbers beat the previous highs, held by Fox News in total viewers (6.11 million on September 22) and MSNBC in the demographic (1.73 million on September 7). They were also well ahead of the numbers for the only other debate on one of the major broadcast networks, CBS News' debate on Nov 12.