Why 34 Million Tuned In: Secrets Behind NBC’s Thanksgiving Ratings Shocker
EVP Jen Neal unpacks the strategy behind ‘our entertainment Super Bowl.’ Plus: my ‘Showrunner Sessions’ with 'Diplomat’ creator Debora Cahn
I cover TV from L.A. I wrote about the ruthless business of holiday TV movies, the Netflix debate over the release of Stranger Things’ final season and got the inside dope on Ryan Murphy’s legal drama All’s Fair. Email me at lesley.goldberg@theankler.com
Happy December, Series Business readers! Hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Before we can collectively retire that small talk until next year, I’ve got one last helping of Turkey Day leftovers: a look at the record-breaking ratings for NBC’s coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and an interview with the executive who oversees all of NBCU’s live entertainment programming.
But first, I’m thrilled to share something new I’m doing at The Ankler. It’s called Showrunner Sessions, and it’s a video series of conversations with top writer/executive producers about how they shape stories, manage teams and bring your favorite hits to life. My first discussion is with the amazing Debora Cahn, the creator and showrunner behind the Netflix political thriller The Diplomat, which recently wrapped its third season and already is in production on its fourth. We talked about the evolution of her career from The West Wing to Homeland and how both shows ultimately led her to the Keri Russell-led favorite.
“It’s completely a genetic child of those two together,” Cahn said of The Diplomat. “When [The West Wing] came to an end, I wanted to do for foreign relations what that show had done for primarily domestic politics — to look at the processes of, how do countries deal with each other and with the same detail and interest in process wrapped up in really good story that The West Wing had.”
Our chat also touched on how much weightier The Diplomat has come to feel after half a million federal employees lost their jobs earlier this year. “There is a two-year lag time, and the world is changing so, so fast. And it’s hard to not say, ‘We should be telling a story about, what does it mean right now when you and 100,000 of your colleagues are all kind of fired within a week?’” Cahn said. “What we’re looking for is what kind of conflicts will exist and have existed through the last 20 years of working in this field [of diplomacy] and will continue to exist for another 10 years. How do you get at the heart of the day-to-day struggle without getting caught up in the sort of whipping winds of the headlines?”
Catch our full conversation, which is presented in partnership with Netflix, below — and look for more Showrunner Sessions coming soon.
Now for a closer look at how TV history was made this Thanksgiving.
While the first installment in the final season of Stranger Things collected nearly 60 million views over the five-day holiday, per Netflix, a 99-year-old parade collected half of that tally in a mere three hours, per Nielsen. It’s true: The 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade delivered its biggest year ever as 34.3 million viewers tuned in to see Mario, Labubu and KPop Demon Hunters’ Huntr/x take a stroll through the streets of New York on NBC and Peacock.
The parade also outperformed in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic, with its 8.7 rating up 13 percent vs. 2024, making this year’s festivities the highest-rated entertainment telecast in the demo in five years. And there’s more: Every other demo was also up, including viewers younger than 25 (up 20 percent).
Who says linear television is dead?
For Jen Neal, executive vice president of live events and specials at NBCUniversal TV & Streaming, the parade’s record viewership is a culmination of her efforts to make the Turkey Day tradition more engaging to young viewers while still ensuring it appeals to everyone in the family. “It’s comfort food,” Neal tells me on a Tuesday call after a whirlwind holiday weekend.
Live programming remains a staple of broadcast. In recent years, the price tags for all manner of sports rights have skyrocketed as the playing field expanded to free-spending streamers like Amazon and Netflix, both of which now have their slice of the NFL pie among other live offerings. (Speaking of the NFL, Fox and CBS saw record-breaking Thanksgiving game telecasts, too.) At the same time, live entertainment events from reunion specials to awards shows (yes, even awards shows!) have seen bumps in average annual value. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade scored its payday in February when, after Macy’s signed with WME, NBCUniversal shelled out $60 million a year to keep the belle of the butterball for the next decade. That’s triple the $20 million average from the last deal, when Macy’s negotiated for itself in a pact that evolved from when NBC first aired the parade in the 1950s.
“We try every year to make this different and more innovative and also appeal to the broadest audiences where anyone age 1 to 100 and their families can enjoy this together,” Neal tells me. “The parade is our entertainment Super Bowl.”
In my interview with the NBCU veteran, who first joined E! in 2012 and stepped into her current role five years ago, you’ll learn:
The talent and first-time tech NBCU marshaled to reach young viewers
Strategic victories from the day and one “spontaneous” segment that highlighted “the brilliance of live”
What Neal’s teams are borrowing from live sports on NBC and Peacock
Why next year’s Macy’s parade — the 100th, already in Neal’s sights — won’t just be about nostalgia
How sports, entertainment, film and TV “hold hands” across NBCU to set up a year-round flywheel of live experiences
How NBC will update the Thanksgiving playbook for Jan. 1’s Rose Parade
What’s on the table for live at NBCU: “Everything’s set for consideration”
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