NEW YORK, NY – The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade captured its largest audience to date on Thursday, drawing in millions of viewers across various platforms. NBC reported a total of 31.3 million viewers who tuned in to watch the parade on both NBC and Peacock, marking a 10% increase from the previous year.
The broadcast, which aired from 8:30 a.m. to noon in all time zones, brought in 23.6 million viewers, surpassing all other entertainment telecasts this year and in the past four years. This high viewership made it the most-watched event since the 2020 Oscars. Streaming hours on Peacock also saw a 26% year-to-year increase.
In the key demographic of adults 18-49, the live broadcast of the parade achieved a 5.4 rating, equivalent to approximately 7.24 million viewers. This rating was the highest for any entertainment show on broadcast or cable since ABC’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in 2021.
Jen Neal, executive vice president of live events and specials at NBCU Entertainment, expressed pride in the parade’s success, highlighting its tradition and role in kicking off the holiday season. Executive producer Will Cross echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the parade’s ability to bring joy and inspiration to viewers.
Thanksgiving is known for being a day of high viewership, with other programs also garnering significant audiences. Following the parade, NBC’s broadcast of the National Dog Show saw a four-year high of 12.2 million viewers. Additionally, Fox’s NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants attracted an estimated 38.5 million viewers, marking one of the most-watched Thanksgiving games on any network.
In primetime, NBC’s NFL game featuring the Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins averaged 26.6 million viewers across platforms for the third consecutive year. Viewership for CBS’ early afternoon NFL matchup between the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears was not available at the time of publication.
The evening continued with strong viewership for NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers, both of which saw their largest audiences since the previous year’s Thanksgiving shows.