The 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade scored another all-time viewership high for NBC and Peacock.
After the annual parade brought in its biggest audience ever last year, the 2025 parade expanded its audience once again, scoring 34.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, according to live-plus-same-day viewership data. Total viewership for the 2025 parade was up 8% from last year while ratings in the 18-49 demo were up 13% over last year.
On NBC alone, the original 8:30 a.m. ET airing scored 25.4 million viewers, similarly breaking last year’s viewership record of 23.6 million viewers that tuned into NBC for the live telecast last year, which, at the time, broke the record for the most-watched entertainment show on linear TV since the 2020 Oscars. This year, the audience on NBC boosted the parade to rank as the most-watched entertainment telecast in nearly seven years, since the 2019 Oscars on ABC.
The parade, which reached its peak audience on NBC from 11-11:15 a.m. with 30.2 million viewers, saw increases among all demos when compared to last year, especially among viewers under 25, which saw a 20% boost.
Beyond the parade, Thanksgiving day brought plenty of viewers to NBC, with the “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina” drawing 12.8 million viewers — up 4% from last year — while both post-football airings of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” scored their biggest audience since airing after the NFL’s kickoff game on Sept. 4.
Thursday’s parade, which marked the 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, kicked off at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones across NBC and Peacock, hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker. The parade also had an encore on NBC at 2 p.m. ET/PT.
This year, the performances at Herald Square included EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI from Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” hits from Broadway’s “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Just in Time” and “Ragtime” as well as the Radio City Rockettes, who are celebrating their 100th year. The parade culminates the work of over 5,000 volunteers, and includes 32 balloons, three ballonicles, 27 floats, four specialty units, 33 clown groups and 11 marching bands, performance groups and musical performers.
“These record-breaking numbers signify how beloved this parade is to our audience and we couldn’t be more thrilled to begin the holiday season on such a wonderful note,” NBCUniversal EVP of live events and specials Jen Neal said in a statement. “A profound thank you to Macy’s for their partnership in producing such an iconic event.”
“This year’s record-breaking ratings are a powerful testament to the creative mastery, technical precision and storytelling ambition Macy’s offers. We are deeply proud to create entertainment that showcases today’s top talent and captures the cultural zeitgeist to connect with our audiences and consistently redefine the benchmark for televised and streaming programming,” Macy’s chief marketing officer Sharon Otterman said. “As we look toward the 100th Macy’s Parade, we remain dedicated to leveraging our unique capabilities to inspire wonder and joy for millions nationwide, ensuring our programs exceed expectations year after year.”
