The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been on the upswing within the post-pandemic streaming era, and this 12 months was no exception. The vacation staple for NBC and its streaming sibling Peacock reached a record 31.3 million viewers on Thursday as Americans took within the annual Thanksgiving holiday with a dollop of TV tradition.
The 98th edition of the retail giant’s annual parade of marching bands, Broadway troupes, celebrities, floats and giant inflatable balloons through Manhattan grabbed and impressive 23.6 million viewers in its live airing on NBC alone from 8:30 a.m. to noon ET. That was strong enough to make the parade the most-watched entertainment special on linear TV since ABC’s Academy Awards telecast in February 2020.
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an event by which we take enormous pride, and it’s an absolute joy to know that there was a record number of individuals watching across each NBC and Peacock,” said Jen Neal, executive VP of live events and specials for NBCU Entertainment. “The parade is a convention like no other. 12 months after 12 months, it’s one of the best option to kick off the vacation season, and we’re thrilled to be an element of it with our partners at Macy’s.”
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Total viewership of the parade increased a solid 10% from 2023. Streaming hours logged by the parade telecast via Peacock climbed by 26% from last 12 months, per NBC.
The live telecast averaged a 5.4 rating within the adults 18-49 demographic — the very best mark for an entertainment telecast since ABC’s “Dick Clark’s Latest 12 months’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” in 2021.
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a beloved tradition that annually marks the start of the vacation season. Macy’s is honored to bring this iconic experience to life and create moments of inspiration and joy through world-class entertainment that only we are able to deliver for our customers and the nation,” said Will Coss, executive producer of the parade.
The high turnout for the Macy’s parade delivered a lift for the National Dog Show presented by Purina, one other Turkey-day tradition for NBC. The pooch popularity contest brought in 12.2 million viewers across all platforms — a gain of 5% from last 12 months.
Overall, NBC had a Thursday to have a good time. Within the evening, the special Thanksgiving edition of “Sunday Night Football,” which saw the Miami Dolphins shiver through a 17-30 loss at Green Bay, pulled in 26.6 million viewers. The nightcap of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” delivered that show’s highest total viewer number (2.8 million) since last 12 months’s Thanksgiving-night episode. The identical was true for “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (1.5 million).
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast is produced for NBC by Silent House Productions. Baz Halpin, Mark Bracco and Linda Gierahn are executive producers. Sacha Mueller is co-executive producer.
