The 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade delivered a record 34.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock on Thursday, an 8% increase from last year’s previous high and the largest audience ever for the holiday tradition.
NBC’s live morning broadcast alone drew 25.4 million viewers, shattering the prior linear-TV record of 23.6 million set in 2024 and making it the most-watched entertainment telecast on any network in nearly seven years (since the 2019 Oscars).
The parade peaked at 30.2 million viewers between 11-11:15 a.m. ET.
Key demographic gains were even stronger: ratings among adults 18-49 jumped 13% year-over-year, while viewership among those under 25 soared 20%.Thanksgiving Day proved a ratings bonanza for NBC overall. The “National Dog Show Presented by Purina” attracted 12.8 million viewers (up 4%), and the post-NFL airings of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” posted their biggest audiences since the NFL season kickoff in September.
The three-hour parade, hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker aired live at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones on NBC and Peacock, with an encore telecast at 2 p.m. ET/PT.