Update: Carrie Underwood clearly played a role in making “The Sound of Music” such a success for NBC.
According to NBC, the broadcast posted a whopping 20.7–its largest local market rating–in Oklahoma City. An Oklahoma native, Underwood has a significant following in that region.
The 4.6 adults 18-49 rating for NBC’s “The Sound of Music Live!” propelled the network to its best-rated night (without a sports broadcast) since the “ER” finale aired on April 2, 2009. The average audience of 18.62 million viewers was its best May 13, 2004, the night of the Frasier finale.
Update: A monster in the overnight metered market ratings, NBC’s “The Sound of Music Live”! also delivered in the adults 18-49 and total viewership columns.
Though it reflects an older skew, the show’s 4.6 adults 18-49 was strong enough to lead NBC to its best non-sports Thursday since the “ER” finale aired on April 2, 2009. And its viewership average, currently measured at 18.47 million, is irrefutably dominant.
No one should face any hesitation in calling “The Sound of Music Live” a smash hit.
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How it fared in the pivotal adults 18-49 demographic remains to be seen, but NBC’s “The Sound of Music” definitely attracted an impressive quantity of households.
The three-hour broadcast of the musical classic drew a whopping 10.9 overnight metered market rating Thursday. Since the skew is unclear, the monstrous overnight does not promise a monstrous adults 18-49 number, but it does forecast a huge total viewership number.
Not even CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory,” which usually dominates Thursday night, outperformed NBC’s musical in the overnight numbers. “Big Bang” drew a 10.5 in its usual 8-8:30PM timeslot.
Three hours in length, NBC’s broadcast opened with a 10.9 at 8PM and peaked with an 11.5 metered market number in the 8:30PM slot. According to TVMediaInsights, it drew an 11.3 at 9PM, an 11.2 at 9:30PM, a 10.5 at 10PM and a 10.0 at 10:30PM.
While “Sound” seemed like a safe bet to draw when it was first announced, limited interest in last week’s “Making Of” special slightly tempered expectations for the live musical’s performance. Based on how this Thursday’s broadcast performed, it should not have created that pessimism.