Based on preliminary ratings, the ABC, NBC and FOX New Year’s Eve specials all endured declines from their previous iterations.
Citing metered market data, a press release from NBC acknowledges that ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” comfortably ranked as the #1 show during the key 11:30PM-1:15AM ET window. It nonetheless endured sizable declines from last year’s show.
Whereas last year’s show drew an 11.2 overnight household rating and a 8.3 adults 18-49 rating in the Top 25 markets, this year’s iteration drew a 8.3 in households and a 6.5 in adults 18-49.
Granted, last year’s special was especially well-rated; the 11:30-12:30 window was actually the most watched in over 25 years. It also benefited from an absence of competition from NBC (which originally planned to air football on New Year’s Eve and then did not have a special in place when plans changed).
Still, this year’s late-night window also narrowly trailed the previous two editions, which did face NBC competition (and were not as spectacularly rated).
— Hosted by Carson Daly and Chrissy Teigen, “NBC’s New Year’s Eve” drew a 4.8 overnight household rating and a 2.7 adults 18-49 rating in the Top 25 markets during the 11:30PM-12:30AM window. As noted, the network did not air a comparable special last year; the December 31, 2016 edition drew a slightly stronger 5.1 in households and a 3.3 in the demo.
Like the most recent NYRE, the previous NBC special was also a particularly strong ratings performer, thereby lessening the “blow” of the broadcast-to-broadcast decline.
— “Fox New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey” proved to be a particularly young-skewing effort. It drew a 3.8 overnight household rating and a 3.0 demo rating during the 11:30-12:30 window.
Last year’s edition drew a 4.9 household rating and a 3.5 adults 18-49 number. That show, of course, may have also benefited from the lack of NBC competition.
