The star-studded 50th anniversary celebration of Saturday Night Live pulled in impressive viewership numbers across NBC and Peacock on Sunday night, attracting 14.8 million total viewers. The three-hour special marked NBC's highest-rated primetime entertainment telecast in the past five years, since the 2020 Golden Globe Awards.
The special event featured beloved sketch revivals performed by current and former cast members, along with musical performances by legendary artists including Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Miley Cyrus, and Lil Wayne with The Roots. A touching musical tribute by Adam Sandler was among the evening's highlights.
In the key adults 18-49 demographic, the special achieved a 2.53 rating, translating to approximately 3.39 million viewers in that age range - another five-year high for NBC's non-sports primetime programming.
The anniversary celebration was preceded by a red carpet special that drew 6.5 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and E! networks. The main event's viewership more than tripled the current season's average for regular SNL episodes, which typically attract around 4.9 million viewers.
While the numbers are impressive in today's fragmented media landscape, they reflect changing viewing habits compared to the show's 40th anniversary special in 2014, which drew 23.1 million viewers on NBC alone. This shift can be attributed to the evolution of viewing patterns and the decline in traditional cable and satellite subscriptions.
The special now stands as Peacock's fourth most-watched entertainment simulcast, following only three broadcasts of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.