All 27 of Broadcast TV’s 2020 Holiday Specials Ranked by Viewers

TV specials are a little less special when no one can actually be in attendance — just ask any virtual awards show — and ratings have reflected that throughout the majority of 2020. The holidays have proven to be no exception.

Looking at broadcast’s holiday-themed specials airing between Black Friday (Nov. 27, 2020) and Sunday, Dec. 13, which is the time range we currently have Nielsen numbers for, NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” tree-lighting ceremony ranks No. 1 of 27 with 7.4 million total viewers.

That was actually better than 2019’s tree-lighting total of 6.9 million total TV viewers. A Christmas miracle!

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A newcomer for 2020, Dolly Parton’s “A Holly Dolly Christmas,” handed CBS 6.4 million total viewers. Third was a true Christmas classic, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which wrapped up 5.9 million total viewers for the same network. Last year’s “Rudolph” airing glowed brighter, with 7 million viewers.

ABC debuts at No. 4 on our list with the COVID-caused “Disney Holiday Singalong,” a December twist on the two “Disney Family Singalong” specials from earlier in the pandemic. This one had 5.7 million viewers.

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NBC’s “Radio City Christmas Spectacular,” which had the benefit of immediately following “Christmas in Rockefeller Center,” rounded out the Top 5 with 5.1 million viewers.

Fox aired just one holiday special this year, an encore of 2011’s “Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas,” which attracted 1.2 million viewers.

The CW occupied all eight of our bottom 8 slots, and not one of those specials even sniffed 1 million total viewers.

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Below, see how all 27 of 2020’s broadcast-TV holiday specials rank in total viewers, according to Nielsen’s Live + Same Day ratings metric. If a special aired twice in our time period, we included the better of the two.

1. “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” (NBC): 7.4 million total viewers
2. “A Holly Dolly Christmas” (CBS): 6.4 million
3. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (CBS): 5.9 million
4. “Disney Holiday Singalong” (ABC): 5.7 million
5. “Radio City Christmas Spectacular” (NBC): 5.1 million
6. “CMA Country Christmas” (ABC): 4.2 million
7. “The Great Christmas Light Fight – Part 1” (ABC): 4 million
8. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (NBC): 3.9 million
9. “The Great Christmas Light Fight – Part 2” (ABC): 3.7 million
10. “Minions Holiday Special” (NBC): 3.4 million
11. “Frosty the Snowman” (CBS): 3.2 million
12. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (ABC): 2.9 million
13. “Disney Prep & Landing” (ABC): 2.7 million
14. “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical” (NBC): 2.6 million
15. “Disney Prep & Landing 2” (ABC): 2.397 million
16. “Frosty Returns” (CBS): 2.369 million
17. “Robbie the Reindeer” (CBS): 1.406 million
18. “The Story of Santa Claus” (CBS): 1.389 million
19. “Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas” (Fox): 1.2 million
20. “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” (The CW): 817,000
21. “Silent Night – A Song for the World” (The CW): 629,000
22. “The Hollywood Christmas Parade Greatest Moments” (The CW): 579,000
23. “Greatest Holiday Commercials” (The CW): 529,000
24. “iHeartRadio Jingle Ball” (The CW): 504,000

There was a CW tie at No. 25, with The CW’s “Christmas Caroler 1” and the “iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Greatest Moments” both drawing 496,000 viewers. That put The CW’s “Penn & Teller: Merry Fool Us” in 27th place with 421,000 viewers.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

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