Over 16 million tuned into "60 Minutes" interviews with Trump and Biden

More than 16.82 million people tuned into Sunday evening's "60 Minutes" episode featuring interviews with President Trump and Joe Biden, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings.

Why it matters: It's the largest audience for a television broadcast, excluding multi-channel and sports programming, since the Academy Awards on Feb. 9.

Driving the news: The sit-down interview with Trump drew attention after the president posted an informal cut of the interview three days ahead of its planned airdate on CBS, violating an agreement with the network.

• After Trump posted the cut, CBS called out the president's move and defended veteran journalist Leslie Stahl, who conducted the interview.
• The president had walked out of the interview early after calling Stahl's questions unfair.
• Stahl also sat down with Vice President Mike Pence, while her colleague, Norah O'Donnell, spoke to Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris.

What's next: The preliminary ratings aren't final. Final ratings out later today are expected to be higher.

Go deeper: Key takeaways from the "60 Minutes" interviews with Trump and Biden