NBCUniversal’s Holiday Programming Is The Gift That Keeps On Giving With Record-Breaking Viewership And Unparalleled Brand Impact

NBCUniversal spreads holiday cheer connecting consumers and advertisers nationwide with record-breaking cross-platform viewership, unmatched reach and unrivaled brand impact in English and Spanish all season long.  

Kicking off the holiday season, NBCUniversal served as the #1 destination for audiences on Thanksgiving Day, reaching over 109M total viewers across platforms and topping all linear and streaming competitors.  

• NBC and Peacock’s Thanksgiving Day programming reached 1 in 3 Households, while also seeing a record-breaking number of viewers tune in to NBC and Peacock throughout the full Thanksgiving weekend, proving the value of live, culture-defining programming for consumers and marketers. 
• NBC’s Thanksgiving Day programming extended beyond the screen and dominated the conversation on social media serving as the most-social network across all of TV — both linear and streaming.  
• This holiday spirit transcended languages, with Telemundo leading with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as the #1 Spanish Language TV program in its timeslot for the third consecutive year allowing NBCUniversal and Telemundo to capture a more diverse audience. 

For brands looking to capture consumer attention during this time of year, NBC’s iconic holiday content led to immediate action for advertisers throughout the entire purchase funnel, leading the industry as the #1 network in driving incremental brand search on Thanksgiving Day. Plus, NBCU delivered incredible impact for marketers across all key metrics at unparalleled scale: 

• +22% higher Likeability  
• +27% higher Brand Memorability 
• +42% higher Message Memorability 
• +88% higher Likelihood to Search 

Viewers tuning in to the celebrated Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Telemundo were +97% more likely to search for brands advertised than viewers of competitive broadcast networks that day.  

In a fragmented media landscape, NBCUniversal’s Thanksgiving Day programming continued to be a highly effective medium for reaching consumers ahead of the most important retail weekend of the year. Each event generated vast lifts compared to competitive programming: 

• 1 ad in NBC Sports’ Thanksgiving primetime NFL game was equivalent to 45 ads in competitive TV. 
• 1 ad in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was equivalent to 15 ads in competitive broadcast TV. 
• 1 ad in the National Dog Show Presented by Purina was equivalent to 15 ads in competitive broadcast TV. 

NBC Sports drove critical seasonal relevance in the company’s Thanksgiving primetime NFL game, reaching and delivering record impact for retail category clients: 

• Viewers of the game were +37% more likely to have shopped with big-box retail outlets in the last 30 days. 
• Advertisers across the category saw strong, immediate engagement with +170% greater likelihood to search versus competitive NFL games on this year’s Thanksgiving Day.

A week later, the annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special continued to fuel engagement and seasonal cheer on NBC as well as Telemundo with its inaugural broadcast, Navidades en Rockefeller Center further driving key brand KPIs with double digit lifts versus competitive broadcast prime programming.  

• Across NBC, the special drove +8% brand memorability, +17% brand search engagement, and +33% likeability versus competitive broadcast prime programming.   
• Across Telemundo, the special drove +21% ad memorability, +33% message memorability and +36% brand memorability versus Spanish-language programming.   

“The holidays at NBCUniversal are a magical time that start on Thanksgiving Day with generations of fans flocking to our platforms to kick off the holiday season,” said Karen Kovacs, President of Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “And that magic extends throughout our holiday programming all season long offering marketers the perfect opportunity to effectively reach over 1 in every 3 adults in a single day, ahead of the biggest retail weekend of the year. No other media company can provide such an impactful platform for reaching and engaging consumers than NBCUniversal during the holidays.” 

“As a company, we take enormous pride in presenting our holiday programming to millions of families across several generations, and our record-breaking numbers this year for the parade leave us in awe,” said Jen Neal, Executive Vice President, Live Events and Specials, NBCUniversal Entertainment. “The longstanding partnership we have with our advertisers and brands are of paramount importance to us, and we always look forward to working with them in celebrating the season.” 

"As the holiday season begins, we've seen the unmatched power of cross-platform TV advertising to drive outcomes and connect with passionate audiences, especially during this special time of year," said Kevin Krim, President & CEO, EDO. "NBCUniversal is generating powerful engagement with its must-see Thanksgiving Day programming lineup — further establishing itself as essential to marketers looking to make an impact this holiday season and beyond." 

Source:  Nielsen, L+SD, 1 min qualifier, 75% unification includes OOH. Platform level Peacock streaming based on Nielsen SPR, Duplication factor based Nielsen duplication report. Platform level streaming data based on streaming meter sample; all other data based on national sample. Talkwalker Social Content Ratings. 11/28/24 vs 11/23/23. Linear Tracking Window. Ranking based on interactions. EDO Ad Engage. 11/28/24. Competitive Broadcast Nets: ABC/CBS/FOX. Ranker based on Search Engagement Volume (SEV). Likelihood to search based on Media ER and excludes overnight airings. Ad Multiplier. NBC Thanksgiving Day Programming (Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, National Dog Show, NFL Football) on 11/28/24. Marketcast TV Brand Effect, 11/28/24. Standard Ads. P18+. Compared against competitive broadcast/cable average excluding NBCU network. Competitive TV Specials includes Award Shows, Pageants, & Parades. Marketcast TVBE, standard ads.  92nd Annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center (12/4/24) vs STD (9/23/24-12/10/24) competitive broadcast prime (ABC/CBS/FOX), excluding sports. Navidades en Rockefeller Center (12/4/24) vs Univision prime. Total viewers. EDO Ad Engage, competitive broadcast (FOX, ABC, CBS,), excluding sports. Media Engagement Rate, Ad Multiplier. EDO Ad Engage, 98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Telemundo 11/28/24 vs competitive broadcast (FOX, ABC, CBS, Univision), excluding sports. Media Engagement Rate.