NBC'S COVERAGE OF THE 84TH ANNUAL 'MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE' IS THE #1 ENTERTAINMENT TELECAST OF THE WEEK IN ADULTS 18-49

WITH A 5.9 RATING, THE PARADE MARCHES 11 PERCENT AHEAD OF THE WEEK'S #2 NON-SPORTS TELECAST, TUESDAY'S FINALE OF 'DANCING WITH THE STARS'

AN AVERAGE 22.1 MILLION VIEWERS WATCH THE PARADE, SECOND-HIGHEST SINCE 2001 AND #3 NON-SPORTS FOR THE WEEK IN THAT CATEGORY; A TOTAL OF 43.7 MILLION WATCH ALL OR SOME OF THE PARADE

'THE NATIONAL DOG SHOW PRESENTED BY PURINA' MATCHES ITS YEAR-AGO RATING IN 18-49 AND AVERAGES 8.2 MILLION VIEWERS, A GAIN OF 7 PERCENT

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - December 3, 2010 - NBC's November 25 9 a.m.-noon ET coverage of the 84th annual "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" is the #1 entertainment telecast of the November 22-28 week in adults 18-49, with its 5.9 rating, 25 share topping all primetime non-sports telecasts on all the major networks.

According to "live plus same day" viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research, the parade topped last week's #2 entertainment telecast, ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" finale Tuesday night, by 11 percent (with a 5.9 rating vs. a 5.3).

The "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," hosted by Meredith Vieira, Matt Lauer and Al Roker of NBC's "Today," was also the #3 entertainment show of the week in total viewers, with its 22.1 million viewers during an average minute placing behind only the Tuesday "Dancing With the Stars" finale and the Monday edition of "Dancing."

This is the second-highest average viewership for the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" in nine years (since 2001, 23.1 million), trailing only last year's 22.3 million over that span.

NBC Research estimates that 43.7 million viewers watched all or some of NBC's "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" coverage, an increase versus last year's total audience of 43.3 million.

In metered-market results released by Nielsen last week, the parade hovered 12 percent above last year's average in the host New York market, with a 19.4 rating, 40 share in households versus last year's 17.3/35. That made it the top "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" household rating in New York since 2003. Other top markets for the parade Thursday morning were: West Palm Beach, 23.2/42; Providence-New Bedford, 22.3/43; Buffalo, 19.7/38; Knoxville, 18.9/33; Cleveland, 18.8/40; Richmond, 18.6/34; Fort Myers-Naples, 18.4/35; Pittsburgh, 18.0/36; St. Louis, 17.9/36; and Jacksonville, 17.9/34.

From noon-2 p.m. ET that day, NBC's coverage of "The National Dog Show Presented by Purina" averaged a 2.2/9 in adults 18-49 and 8.2 million viewers overall. NBC Research estimates 18.3 million viewers watched all or some of the telecast.

"The National Dog Show Presented by Purina" matched its year-ago rating in adults 18-49 and was up 7 percent versus 2009 in total viewers (8.2 million vs. 7.7 million).

The annual dog show, hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, is one of the oldest and most prestigious sporting events in North America. NBC's coverage was hosted by John O'Hurley and featured the commentary of expert analyst David Frei and sideline interviews by Mary Carillo.