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Thanksgiving gift for NBC
Ratings-challenged network sees a parade boost
By Diego Vasquez
Nov 30, 2009
Thanksgiving night was nothing special ratings-wise on broadcast, with the networks easing into a post-sweeps snoozefest of specials, reruns and recaps.
But NBC did have something to celebrate on Thursday morning, when coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade inched to its best ratings in three years.
The three-hour parade, which began at 9 a.m., averaged a 12.7 household rating and 27 share, according to Nielsen metered markets, up 2 percent over last year's 12.5/26.
Nearly 46 million tuned in to at least six minutes of the parade, marking the biggest audience in eight years.
Credit a crummy economy and a bit of turkey day nostalgia for the rise. In times of woe, viewers gravitate toward things that help them feel comfortable, and the reliably kid-focused parade is like one giant serving of stuffing -- the ultimate comfort food.
Otherwise, the broadcasters really had little to celebrate on Thursday. CBS earned an easy victory with a 2.4 adults 18-49 rating and 7 share, according to Nielsen overnights, well ahead of No. 2 Fox at 2.0/6. ABC was third at 1.6/5, followed by Fox in fourth at 1.3/4, the CW fifth at 0.9/3 and Univision sixth at 0.6/2.
As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-three percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
At 8 p.m., CBS led with a recap of "Survivor: Samoa," followed by ABC in second with a 2.0 for "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." Fox was fourth at 1.9 for the first hour of the movie "Night at the Museum," followed by NBC's "The Office" repeat and the CW's "The Vampire Diaries" repeat both at 1.0. Univision was sixth with a 0.5 for "El Nombre del Amor."
At 9 p.m., Fox pulled ahead with a 2.1 for the final hour of "Museum," followed by CBS with a 2.0 for a repeat of "CSI." ABC was third with a 1.7 for a Beyonce concert special, NBC fourth with a 1.4 for a news special, CW fifth with a 0.9 for a "Supernatural" repeat," and Univision sixth with a 0.6 for "Sortilegio."
At 10 p.m., CBS's "The Mentalist" was first at 2.1, followed by NBC's "The Jay Leno Show" at 1.5. ABC's Paul McCartney concert special was third at 1.2 and Univision's "Rosa de Guadalupe" fourth at 0.6.
Among households, CBS also led the night with a 5.4/11, followed by Fox at 3.4/7, ABC at 2.9/6, NBC at 2.6/5, CW at 1.4/3 and Univision at 0.7/1.
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