The Republican presidential debate was the most-watched debate in history

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Republican debate

AP

Republican presidential candidates from left, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and John Kasich take the stage for the first Republican presidential debate at the Quicken Loans Arena Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland.

The first Republican presidential debate is shaping up to be the most-watched primary debate in history.

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The New York Daily News reports that early Nielsen numbers reveal that the debate earned a 16.0 or a total of 16% of U.S. homes with a television were tuned into the debate on Fox News.

According to the newspaper, CNN reported that the highest-rated Republican primary debates in 2011 and 2012 were both watched by 5% of U.S. homes with a TV.

donald trump jeb bush

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Republican 2016 U.S. presidential candidate businessman Donald Trump (L) talks with fellow candidate and former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush during a commercial break at the first official Republican presidential candidates debate of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign in Cleveland, Ohio, August 6, 2015.

The tripling of that number by Thursday's debates is being attributed to Donald Trump's participation. The real estate mogul has been leading in the polls amid several controversies.

Additionally, a Fox News representative told the paper that so many people tried to watch the debate online that the "overwhelming demand caused server issues in the debate live stream."

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Nielsen is expected to release more viewership information on Friday afternoon.

CNN and CNBC will air the next Republican presidential primary debates on September 16 and October 28, respectively.

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