Viewership was huge

It's official: Thursday's debate between Sen. Joe Biden and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was must-see TV.

Just shy of 70 million people tuned in, 34% more than last week's showdown between White House hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama. The figures from Nielsen Media Research don't include PBS, which estimated that it had 3.5 million viewers.

It was by far the most-watched vice presidential debate since Nielsen began tracking viewership in 1960.

The market with the fewest households watching: Los Angeles, with just 34.4%. That could have had something to do with the Dodgers playoff game, which began at 6:30 p.m.

-- Matea Gold