NBC’s telecast of the 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade drew a record 34.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock this year, according to live-plus-same-day Nielsen data, giving the network another Thanksgiving ratings high and confirming the parade’s place as the holiday’s leading entertainment draw.
The live 8:30 a.m. ET airing on NBC alone averaged 25.4 million viewers, up from 23.6 million a year earlier and the strongest audience for an entertainment telecast since the 2019 Academy Awards, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The combined telecast posted an 8 percent gain in total viewers compared with last year, while adults 18-49 rose 13 percent, the best demo result for an entertainment program in five years.
The record extends a multi-year climb for the Thanksgiving fixture. NBC and Peacock reached about 28.5 million viewers in 2023 and 31.5 million in 2024, with the parade ranking as the most-watched special on television each year. Earlier this year, NBC renewed its deal with Macy’s through 2035, at a higher license fee that reflects the event’s value as a ratings powerhouse and high-priced ad showcase for the network.
This 99th edition put more than 5,000 volunteers, 32 giant balloons, 27 floats and 11 marching bands on the streets of Manhattan, alongside Broadway casts and pop performers. Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker again anchored the coverage, which aired live in all U.S. time zones, streamed on Peacock and replayed on NBC later in the afternoon.
Strong viewing came even as parts of the audience bristled at the telecast. Viewers on social platforms complained about grainy video, lagging audio and streaming glitches on NBC, Peacock and virtual pay-TV providers. Others said the broadcast leaned heavily on Broadway numbers, celebrity interviews and promotional segments, with less uninterrupted time on the balloons and marching bands that define the street experience.
NBC’s Thanksgiving block drew sizable audiences beyond the parade itself. The National Dog Show Presented by Purina averaged 12.8 million viewers, up 4 percent year over year, and post-football editions of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers logged their biggest crowds since airing after the NFL kickoff game in September. For a linear-TV schedule under pressure from streaming and sports rights inflation, the parade’s record performance highlights how a handful of live holiday franchises still deliver the kind of mass audience advertisers rarely see elsewhere.
