The 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade reached an unparalleled high in viewership numbers, as 34.3 million tuned in for the big event on NBC and Peacock, according to early Nielsen estimates. The total represents an 8% increase from the 31.3 million who watched last year, adding 2.5 million more spectators and continuing to prove just how popular the event is.
Excluding streaming, NBC’s 8:30 a.m. ET live broadcast drew 25.4 million viewers, making the show the most-watched entertainment program in nearly seven years since the 2019 Oscars on ABC. Viewership jumped across all key demographics: up 13% in the key 18-49 demo, which was the biggest increase in five years, with a particularly high jump of 20% among those under age 25.
The growth encompassed all demographic groups, enabled by Peacock’s streaming boost upon its 5-million-subscriber gain from a year ago. The parade reached its peak at 30.2 million viewers on NBC from 11:00 to 11:15 a.m., solidifying its status as one of the holiday juggernauts.
NBCUniversal’s Jen Neal praised the “record-breaking figures” as evidence of the parade’s beloved status, thanking Macy’s for the partnership. Macy’s Chief Marketing Officer Sharon Otterman released a statement in which she hailed the ratings as affirmation of their “creative mastery” and commitment to cultural relevance headed into the 100th parade. Related Thanksgiving programming also fared well, as The National Dog Show averaged 12.8 million viewers, up 4% from 2024.
