Will The Democratic Debate Only Be On CBS?

The second Democratic debate is set to take place at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday and comes less than a week after a DNC presidential forum hosted by Rachel Maddow. Three candidates — Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley — will take the stage at the Sheslow Auditorium in a 90-minute debate that kicks off at 9 p.m. ET. This second event is a must-watch now that the debate field has narrowed due to both Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee dropping out of the race. So, will the Democratic debate only be on CBS? Those without a television are also in luck, as CBS will be streaming the debate on CBSN live.

According to AdWeek, all CBS platforms will show the Saturday night debate, though mobile streaming may require a CBS All Access subscription. The network offers a seven-day trial period if you're not ready to take the plunge and purchase a $6-a-month subscription for the long haul. An added bonus component of the debate is its focus on social media engagement. For the first time in debate history, host network CBS has partnered with Twitter and will be tracking reactions as well as questions for candidates in real time.

As with the previous debate, the social media hashtag for this event will once again be #DemDebate. The night of the first Democratic debate saw nearly 1.7 million tweets with the #DemDebate hashtag, dropping sharply to just over 135,000 the following day. Both Twitter and CBS recognize the importance of having a strong social media presence at the debate itself. CBS News President Dave Rhodes had this to say about the network's comprehensive coverage:

Our people have worked with Twitter’s unique curator tools to measure changing responses to what viewers will see on the screen. Twitter integration will inform our coverage and integrate seamlessly with CBSN, our always-on digital network.

In addition to CBS hosting the debate, local CBS affiliate KCCI and The Des Moines Register have also partnered with the network. Face the Nation's John Dickerson will serve as moderator. The second Democratic debate is so far the first to be held on a Saturday night. #DemDebate drinking game guides are popping up all across the internet and you can bet that bars across the nation will be cashing in on a primetime event taking place during one of the busiest drinking nights of the week.