Seventh Democratic debate drew in 7.3 million viewers

Tuesday's Democratic debate hosted by CNN and the Des Moines register was watched by 7.3 million viewers, early data released by Nielsen Media Research shows.

Why it matters: The seventh Democratic debate was watch by slightly more people than the past few debates, which attracted viewers in the six million range. That boost could be for several reasons, including big news events such as President Trump being impeached and the killing of Iran's Gen. Qasem Soleimani. But viewership is still way down from first few debates — which averaged about 12 million viewers each.

Go deeper: 4 takeaways from the 7th Democratic debate