"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" UNWRAPS ITS BIGGEST OVERALL AUDIENCE SINCE MAY

HOSTED BY JIMMY FALLON WITH MUSICAL GUEST MICHAEL BUBLÉ, THE CHRISTMAS EDITION OF 'SNL' ALSO TIES THE SHOW'S SEASON HIGH IN 18-49 AND BEATS EVERY SATURDAY PRIMETIME NON-SPORTS TELECAST ON ABC, CBS, NBC OR FOX SINCE JANUARY 2010

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - December 22, 2011 - The December 17 edition of "Saturday Night Live" has delivered the show's biggest overall audience since last May, while matching the highest "SNL" adult 18-49 rating so far this season, according to "live plus same day" viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

With a telecast hosted by Jimmy Fallon and featuring musical guest Michael Bublé, "Saturday Night Live" averaged a 2.5 rating, 10 share in adults 18-49 and 7.3 million viewers overall.

The 2.5 rating equals "Saturday Night Live's" season high and matches the show's highest 18-49 rating since May 21 (the season finale hosted by Justin Timberlake with musical guest Lady Gaga). And the 7.3 million viewers overall is "SNL's" largest audience since that May 21 telecast.

The 2.5 rating in 18-49 for the December 17 edition of "Saturday Night Live" outscored every Saturday non-sports primetime telecast on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox since January 16, 2010. In total viewers, "Saturday Night Live" was up 5 percent versus the same night last year (7.3 million vs. 6.9 million).

The December 17 telecast was a Christmas-themed edition featuring guest appearances by former "SNL" regulars Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Tracy Morgan, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz and Chris Kattan, plus a cameo by Jude Law.