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CNN’s New Year’s Eve Celebration Sees Surge in Viewership

CNN’s New Year’s Eve special featuring Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen achieved a significant milestone in viewership, marking its largest midnight audience since 2021. The event, titled “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen,” was broadcast live from the iconic Times Square in New York City.

According to Nielsen’s live-plus-same-day statistics, the program attracted 3.7 million total viewers and 1.36 million in the coveted adults 25-54 demographic during the pivotal half-hour from midnight to 12:30 a.m. This time slot, coinciding with the famous Times Square ball drop, saw CNN’s show become the top-rated program across all cable networks in both key demographics.

The overall performance of the event was notable as well. From 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., the special averaged 2.98 million viewers, with 1.08 million in the targeted age range. Despite a successful midnight segment, the total audience for the entire show, which aired from 8:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., averaged 1.88 million viewers. This figure represented a decline of 19.3% from the previous year’s audience of 2.33 million, while the demographic viewership also fell by 19.01%, down to 649,000 from 802,000 last year.

Despite these declines, “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” secured its position as the second most-watched program on cable in both key demographics, following ESPN’s college football broadcast, thereby establishing itself as the highest-rated New Year’s program on cable television.

The show also had a notable impact on streaming platforms, becoming Max’s fourth most-watched day ever, right behind events such as Election Day 2024 and the two presidential debates of that year. Remarkably, this year’s program registered a 10% increase in viewership compared to previous New Year’s Eve broadcasts on CNN.

When considering combined viewership from both Max streaming and traditional television, “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” reached an impressive 15.8 million viewers, reflecting a substantial 40% increase from the previous year’s total.

In comparison, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” dominated the New Year’s Eve television landscape with an impressive 18 million total viewers, peaking at 21.5 million at midnight. This highlights the competitive nature of New Year’s Eve programming, with audiences gravitating toward various celebratory shows.

Source
www.thewrap.com