Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broke records with a staggering 28.5 million viewers tuning in across all NBC platforms on Thursday, announced by the network on Friday.
The NBC live viewing, which extended from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Eastern, ran for a half-hour longer than last year’s telecast. Additionally, there was an encore telecast from 2 to 5 p.m., and the holiday kickoff was simulcast on Peacock.
Ratings for the 97th parade on NBC recorded a 6% increase from 2022, more than doubling Peacock’s streaming hours from the previous year.
The live linear telecast of the parade established itself as NBC’s highest-rated entertainment program of the year, with 22.3 million viewers and a 5.3 in the demo.
Notably, the live event, featuring performances from Jon Batiste and Cher, now holds the title for Peacock’s highest-rated entertainment simulcast to date, surpassing even sports events such as football games and golf tournaments.
However, the event encountered a disruption when 34 pro-Palestinian demonstrators took the streets around 10 a.m., as reported by CNN. The demonstrators jumped police barricades and glued themselves to the street to draw attention to the situation in Gaza. Thirty of the demonstrators received a criminal summons for trespassing, and four were arrested for resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and obstructing governmental administration, according to the NYPD.
Furthermore, “Today” weatherman Al Roker made a return to the parade after missing last year’s event, having been hospitalized for blood clots.
Following the parade, “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina” garnered 11.9 million viewers and a 2.9 rating in the demo across NBC and Peacock, indicating an 8% and 11% increase from last year’s telecast, respectively. The dog competition also experienced a 58% increase on Peacock compared to 2022.
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” delivered their best numbers since the previous Thanksgiving.
The original post from TheWrap can be found at this link: TheWrap.
