NEW YORK — The third debate between President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney stands as the most-watched telecast ever on Fox News Channel.

The Nielsen company said Tuesday that an estimated 11.5 million people watched Obama and Romney tussle Monday night on foreign policy on Fox. The network’s previous record was the 11.1 million who watched the second presidential debate last week and the Joe Biden-Sarah Palin vice presidential debate in 2008.

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President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney square off during the third and final presidential debate Monday, Oct. 23, 2012. AP

Nielsen did not immediately have an estimate on the total viewership for the debate on all the networks that showed it. Those are usually released later in the afternoon.

The debate ran in competition with Game 7 of baseball’s National League Championship series and a Monday Night Football game.