ABC’s ‘Rockin’ Eve’ Inches Up In Ratings, NBC & Fox’s Late-Night Specials On Par

January 1, 2015 10:47am

Powered by an appearance by reigning pop princess Taylor Swift, ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2014 on ABC drew a 10.7 household rating in the metered markets from 11:30 PM – 1:15 AM, up +6% from last year. Among adults 18-49, the special, which also featured appearances by One Direction and Elton John, posted a 7.3 rating in the markets with Local People Meters, up +3%.

From 11:30 PM-12:30 AM., NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly averaged a 4.9 household rating and a 3.1 in 18-49. In households, it was down -6% from last year while in the demo the special, headlined by Lady Gaga and The Voice coaches Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams, matched last year’s result, equaling the show’s highest 18-49 rating in five years.

Fox introduced a potential new New Year’s franchise to rival ABC’s Rockin’ Eve and NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Pitbull’s New Year’s Revolution. It got off to an inauspicious start, posting a 2.6 household rating and a 2.2 in 18-49 from 11 PM-12:30 AM. That was in line with the network’s generic New Year’s Eve Live special last year, which drew a 2.6 and 2.1 rating, respectively.

In primetime, Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest averaged 12.8 million total viewers and a 3.8 in 18-49 in the fast nationals. That was up +5% in viewers from last year and up a tenth in 18-49.

The long-running ABC franchise again dominated NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly (5.4 million, 1.5/6), which was down -17% from last year in the demo but still qualifies as the second highest rated edition of the special in 7 years.