As a lifelong television enthusiast and someone who has spent countless hours glued to my set, I must say that this list of the most-watched TV events of 2024 is nothing short of mesmerizing!
America adores public celebrations, learning from Oprah, dancing along with Ryan Seacrest during New Year’s Eve, and singing along to Billy Joel’s tunes at Madison Square Garden.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC was the most viewed entertainment special of the year, attracting a total of 23.4 million viewers when live viewing and seven days of delayed viewing are combined, according to Nielsen’s ratings. Two specials hosted by Oprah Winfrey also made it onto the list, with one airing on ABC at number 19 and the other on CBS at number 24.
The Rose Parade, a yearly event on New Year’s Day that showcases floral floats in Pasadena, managed to secure two spots (at No. 14 and No. 17). The national telecast by NBC attracted around 5.4 million viewers, while ABC’s broadcast of the parade prior to the college football game at the Rose Bowl pulled in approximately 5.1 million viewers.
Several music-focused programs were included, with ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” (ranked 4th) being the most watched, attracting 18 million viewers between 11:30 p.m. ET on December 31 and 1 a.m. ET on January 1 during its primary 90-minute segment. CBS’s broadcast of Billy Joel’s historic 100th consecutive performance at his Madison Square Garden residency (ranked 10th) gathered 6.5 million viewers in April. A star-studded tribute to the late country artist Toby Keith (ranked 20th) managed to draw 4.6 million viewers on NBC in August.
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Clearly, Kudocasts lead the pack in the top 10. The “Barbenheimer” effect significantly boosted ABC’s Academy Awards broadcast, helping it climb to the second spot with 20.2 million viewers after a few lackluster years. The Grammy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards outperformed both Emmy Award telecasts of the year, taking the third and sixth positions respectively. The American Music Awards on ABC also did well, attracting viewers to its special 50th anniversary show, placing it at number 12.
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The list below features non-sports TV broadcasts that were aired in the year 2024. Notable mentions go to two streaming platforms that made significant live attempts this year: “The Roast of Tom Brady”, broadcasted live on May 5 by Netflix, which created quite a stir in popular culture; and Peacock’s inaugural live special, “Colin Jost & Michael Che Present: New York After Dark”, which was aired on September 12.
THE 25 MOST-WATCHED ENTERTAINMENT SPECIALS OF 2024
| Rank | PROGRAM (NETWORK) | TOTAL VIEWERS | DATE AIRED |
| 1. | Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC) | 23.4 million | 11/28/2024 |
| 2. | 96th Academy Awards (ABC) | 20.2 million | 3/10/2024 |
| 3. | 66th Grammy Awards (CBS) | 18.1 million | 2/2/2024 |
| 4. | Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, Part 1 Late-Night (ABC) | 18 million | 12/31/2023-1/1/2024 |
| 5. | National Dog Show (NBC) | 12 million | 11/28/2024 |
| 6. | 81st Golden Globe Awards (CBS) | 10 million | 1/7/2024 |
| 7. | 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (ABC) | 7.4 million | 9/15/2024 |
| 8. | Oscars Red Carpet Preview Show (ABC) | 7.3 million | 3/10/2024 |
| 9. | Country Music Awards (ABC) | 6.9 million | 11/20/2024 |
| 10. | The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden (CBS) | 6.5 million | 4/14/2024 |
| 11. | Christmas at Rockefeller Center (NBC) | 6.2 million | 12/04/2024 |
| 12. | American Music Awards 50th Anniversary (ABC) | 6.1 million | 10/6/2024 |
| 13. | CMT Music Awards (CBS) | 5.9 million | 4/7/2024 |
| 14. | Tournament of Roses Parade (NBC) | 5.4 million | 1/1/2024 |
| 15. | Super Bowl Greatest Commercials (CBS) | 5.3 million | 1/7/2024 |
| 16. | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (NBC) | 5.3 million | 12/6/2024 |
| 17. | Rose Bowl / Rose Parade (ABC) | 5.1 million | 1/1/2024 |
| 18. | 75th Primetime Emmy Awards (Fox) | 5 million | 1/15/2024 |
| 19. | An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution (ABC) | 4.8 million | 3/18/2024 |
| 20. | Toby Keith: American Icon (NBC) | 4.6 million | 8/28/2024 |
| 21. | Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks (NBC) | 4.4 million | 7/4/2024 |
| 22. | Bob Newhart: A Legacy of Laughter (CBS) | 4.4 million | 7/22/2024 |
| 23. | NCISverse: The First 1000 (CBS) | 4.3 million | 4/8/2024 |
| 24. | An Oprah Special: Elvis, Lisa Marie and Riley (CBS) | 4.3 million | 10/8/2024 |
| 25. | Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular (NBC) | 4.2 million | 12/4/2024 |
(Shown above: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve Bash, hosted by Ryan Seacrest)
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2024-12-28 01:17