or


[05/21/17 - 10:32 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" Delivers Its Most-Watched Season Finale in Six Years
NBC spins the numbers for Saturday, May 20.
[via press release from NBC]

"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" DELIVERS ITS MOST-WATCHED SEASON FINALE IN SIX YEARS

With Host Dwayne Johnson & Musical Guest Katy Perry, "SNL" Generates the #1 Broadcast Rating of the Week to Date in 18-49

NEW YORK - May 21, 2017 - "Saturday Night Live" has outrated every primetime telecast on the broadcast networks so far this week in adults 18-49, while delivering the show's most-watched season finale in six years.

The May 20 edition of "Saturday Night Live," with host Dwayne Johnson and musical guest Katy Perry, averaged 8.272 million viewers overall and a 2.32 rating in adults 18-49 in "fast official" "live plus same day" results from Nielsen Media Research.

The telecast, which aired live coast to coast (11:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. PT) and counted unduplicated viewers from 11:30 encores in western markets, ranks as the #1 telecast so far this week on the broadcast networks in adult 18-49 rating, outrating the week's current #2 show, Fox's "Empire" (2.17) by a +7% margin.

The 8.272 million is "Saturday's Night Live's" biggest overall audience for a season finale since May 21, 2011 (with host Justin Timberlake and musical guest Lady Gaga, 9.818 million). In 18-49, it's the top-rated "SNL" season-closer since May 18, 2013 (with host Ben Affleck and musical guest Kanye West, 2.37).

Versus "Saturday Night Live's" average with originals for the month of May last year, this week's telecast is up +45% in adults 18-49 (with a 2.32 rating vs. a 1.60) and +3.0 million persons or +58% in total viewers (8.272 million vs. 5.233 million for the month of May 2016).

Note that "SNL" adds significant viewership via time-shifting, with the 19 originals so far this season growing by +60% in 18-49 and +3.385 million persons or +45% in total viewers going from "live plus same day" Nielsens to "live plus seven day" figures. In L+SD, "SNL" this season has averaged a 2.17 rating in 18-49 and 7.495 million viewers overall, and in L+7, "SNL" grew to a 3.48 in 18-49 and 10.880 million viewers.

Versus the same point last season, "SNL" originals are up +27% in 18-49 (3.48 vs. 2.75) and +2.614 million persons or +32% in total viewers (10.880 million vs. 8.266 million).

The average 10.880 million viewers in L+7 makes this the show's most-watched season at this point in 23 years (versus prior seasons' original telecasts through comparable dates), best since 1993-94 (11.201 million for that season's first 20 originals).

The 3.48 average in L+7 adults 18-49 rating average is the show's best performances in the demo at this point in seven years, since 2009-10 (3.50 for that season's first 21 originals).





  [may 2017]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (NBC)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[02/27/26 - 03:00 PM]
"Survivor 50" Premiere Wins the Night Posting CBS' Most-Watched Wednesday Since 2022
Said premiere averaged 5.06 million viewers, peaking with 6.18 million.
[02/26/26 - 02:19 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Soars to Season High with Best Audience in Over a Year
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 157 consecutive weeks across all key measures.
[02/25/26 - 05:44 PM]
ABC Wins Monday Night as "American Idol" Dominates with Best Audience Since Season Premiere
In fact, "American Idol" scored its largest margin of victory ever in Total Viewers over "The Voice" during its nine-season run on ABC.

[02/25/26 - 03:35 PM]
"20/20: The Au Pair, The Affair and Murder" About a Twisted Love Triangle Delivers Best Adult 25-54 Performance in 10 Months and Strongest Delivery in Adults 18-49 in 11 Months
Hitting new season highs for the second straight week, "20/20" improved on the previous week in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
[02/25/26 - 02:46 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 Broadcast Network for Coverage of the State of the Union, Beating NBC by 1.4 Million and CBS by 1.7 Million
Said coverage ranked No. 1 among the broadcast networks in all key target demos: Total Viewers (4.912 million), Adults 25-54 (1.125 million) and Adults 18-49 (886,000).
[02/24/26 - 01:48 PM]
Nearly 21 Million Viewers Watched NBCUniversal's Coverage of USA-Canada Olympic Men's Gold Medal Hockey Game, Peaking at 26 Million for Game-Winning Goal on NBC & Peacock
The USA-Canada gold-medal game delivered an average live audience of 18.6 million viewers on NBC and Peacock (8:15-11 a.m. ET).
[02/24/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of Feb. 16 - "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model" Sashays to No. 1 in Top 10
Plus: Season 3 of "The Night Agent" took No. 2 on the English TV list with 8.4 million views.

[02/23/26 - 03:55 PM]
NBCUniversal's Presentation of Milan Cortina Olympics Dominates Media Landscape & Delivers Largest Winter Games Audience Since 2014
Sunday's Closing Ceremony provided a spectacular culmination as more than 215 million Americans (215.6 million through February 17) tuned in across NBCUniversal's platforms for "Legendary February."
[02/23/26 - 12:00 PM]
CBS Series Post Strong Fall Viewership, Topping Broadcast and Streaming Rankings in Live + 35-Day Multiplatform Viewership
The CBS fall lineup scored eight of the top 10 most-watched series among broadcast competition and nine of the top 20 most-watched series among all broadcast and streaming competition for this season's episodes airing through January 4, 2026.
[02/20/26 - 11:08 AM]
"The 'Burbs" Continues Hot Start on Peacock
The series has generated nearly 1 billion viewing minutes on platform since its February 8 launch.
[02/19/26 - 11:50 AM]
ABC Wednesday Comedies Deliver Audience Milestones as Romance Blooms With Valentine's Day Episodes
"Shifting Gears" earned 6.90 million Total Viewers and 0.99 rating among Adults 18-49, after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.
[02/17/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of February 9 - "Tyler Perry's Joe's College Road Trip" Takes the Scenic Route to No. 1
Plus: "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 4 took No. 1 on the English TV list with 9.6 million views.
[02/12/26 - 02:34 PM]
ABC's Thursday Night Dramas Dominate as "9-1-1," "9-1-1: Nashville" and "Grey's Anatomy" Jump to Biggest Multiplatform Audience Since Their Season Premieres
The January 29 episodes of all three series rose to their biggest Total Viewer audience since their season premieres after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.
[02/11/26 - 03:30 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board - in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49
"Nightline" improved on the same week last year by double digits in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
[02/11/26 - 01:46 PM]
"Puppy Bowl XXII" Reaches 15.3 Million Viewers on Sunday, February 8, Delivering Highest Audience in Eight Years
The programming event ranked as the #1 non-sports cable telecast of the day among key adult demos and achieved a 20% year-over-year increase in reach, marking its strongest performance since 2018.