Ratings Watch: Viewers Flock to This Year’s Christmas and Holiday Specials
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… in primetime.
The December flurry of holiday specials is underway, and viewers are decking the halls with some of the season’s most popular staples.
Making it into the Top 25 most-watched programs for the week ending Dec. 6: CBS’ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, ABC’s A Charlie Brown Christmas and NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center.
This year’s Charlie Brown telecast was also preceded by a the anniversary special It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown, which averaged 7.5 million viewers.
Also, although not holiday-themed, NBC’s latest live musical event, The Wiz Live! (timed to the season), was up from last year’s Peter Pan Live! (11 million) but couldn’t match 2013’s The Sound of Music Live! (21.3 million).
Among sports highlights, Michigan State won this year’s Big Ten football championship, which was up a whopping 3.8 million from 6.1 million last year (Wisconsin vs. Ohio State).
Here are the top 25 shows (including Live+3 DVR and VOD data) for the week of November 30 to December 6.
RANK |
SHOW & NETWORK |
LIVE+3 |
WATCHED |
1 |
NFL Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh vs. Indianapolis NBC |
19.2 |
19.2 |
2 |
NFL Thursday Night Football: Green Bay vs. Detroit CBS/NFL Network |
18.0 |
17.8 |
3 |
Empire Fox |
15.5 |
11.8 |
4 |
The Voice (Monday) NBC |
14.1 |
12.6 |
5 |
The Wiz Live! NBC |
13.4 |
11.5 |
6 |
The Voice (Tuesday) NBC |
13.1 |
12.1 |
7 |
Chicago Med NBC |
11.8 |
9.9 |
8 |
Criminal Minds CBS |
11.6 |
8.8 |
9 |
Chicago Fire NBC |
11.4 |
8.6 |
10 |
Code Black CBS Survivor CBS |
11.1 11.1 |
8.5 9.4 |
12 |
Modern Family ABC |
10.8 |
7.4 |
13 |
NFL Monday Night Football: Baltimore vs. Cleveland ABC |
10.2 |
10.1 |
14 |
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer CBS |
10.1 |
9.0 |
15 |
Supergirl CBS Big Ten Football Championship: Iowa vs. Michigan State Fox |
9.9 9.9 |
8.0 9.8 |
17 |
Sinatra 100: Grammy Concert CBS 60 Minutes (8 p.m.) CBS |
9.5 9.5 |
8.8 9.3 |
19 |
60 Minutes (7 p.m.) CBS The Middle ABC |
9.0 9.0 |
8.7 7.6 |
21 |
The Goldbergs ABC Christmas in Rockefeller Center NBC A Charlie Brown Christmas |
8.3 8.3 8.3 |
6.5 8.1 7.3 |
24 |
Superstore NBC Blue Bloods CBS |
8.2 8.2 |
7.2 7.6 |
Total viewers; in millions |