The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been on the upswing in the post-pandemic streaming era, and this year was no exception. The holiday staple for NBC and its streaming sibling Peacock reached a record 31.3 million viewers on Thursday as Americans took in 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 in which we take enormous pride, and it’s an absolute joy to know that there was a record number of people watching across both NBC and Peacock,” said Jen Neal, executive VP of live events and specials for NBCU Entertainment. “The parade is a tradition like no other. Year after year, it’s the best way to kick off the holiday season, and we’re thrilled to be a part 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 year, per NBC.
The live telecast averaged a 5.4 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic — the highest mark for an entertainment telecast since ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” in 2021.
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a beloved tradition that annually marks the beginning of the holiday 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 can 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 boost for the National Dog Show presented by Purina, another Turkey-day tradition for NBC. The pooch popularity contest brought in 12.2 million viewers across all platforms — a gain of 5% from last year.
Overall, NBC had a Thursday to celebrate. In 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 year’s Thanksgiving-night episode. The same 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.