With increased competition and a general downward trend in live viewing, television specials tend to feel, well, less special with each passing year. There are still quite a few annual must-see live-TV hours — and no, we’re not even talking about sports (for this one).
From the Oscars to the Emmys and everything toward the top, TheWrap ranked the 10 highest-rated broadcast-television entertainment specials of 2019. All numbers in this story come from Nielsen’s Live + Same Day data set and measures adults 18-49, the demographic most sought after by advertisers on entertainment programming.
Thanks to ABC’s “The Little Mermaid Live,” we’ve got a musical on the list again this year. We declined to include the Oscars red carpet half-hours this time around, as they would bump a few standalone specials from the Top 10.
Rank: 10
Special: American Music Awards
Date: Nov. 24, 2019
Net: ABC
18-49 rating: 1.72
Rank: 9
Special: “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family/The Jeffersons”
Date: May 22, 2019
Net: ABC
18-49 rating: 1.74
Rank: 8
Special: Thanksgiving Day Parade (CBS)
Date: Nov. 28, 2019
Net: CBS
18-49 rating: 1.78
Rank: 7
Special: Country Music Awards
Date: Nov. 13, 2019
Net: ABC
18-49 rating: 1.96
Rank: 6
Special: Billboard Music Awards
Date: May 1, 2019
Net: NBC
18-49 rating: 2.08
Rank: 5
Special: “Little Mermaid Live!”
Date: Nov. 5, 2019
Net: ABC
18-49 rating: 2.60
Rank: 4
Special: Golden Globes
Date: Jan. 6, 2019
Net: NBC
18-49 rating: 5.27
Rank: 3
Special: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Date: Nov. 28, 2019
Net: NBC
18-49 rating: 5.49
Rank: 2
Special: Grammys
Date: Feb. 10, 2019
Net: CBS
18-49 rating: 5.61
Rank: 1
Special: Oscars
Date: Feb. 24, 2019
Net: ABC
18-49 rating: 7.70