Industry watchers spend most of the year worrying about lagging ratings, cord cutting and the general decline of the dominance of the major broadcasters.
But come Thanksgiving, the folks at ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox still have something to cheer about: Turkey Day is one of the biggest days of the year for the Big Four.
From the major football games to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the long holiday has four of the 30 most-watched network programs of last fall, according to Adweek.
So how did the networks promote their offerings this year?
NBC is using the holiday to promote its upcoming live staging of Peter Pan on Dec. 4 by airing a behind the scenes special: The Making of Peter Pan Live, on the night before Thanksgiving.
The next day NBC also had the annual Macy’s parade in New York, hosted by Today talent Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie. The big selling point this year? The parade would air at 9 a.m. in all time zones, eliminating the need for West Coast viewers to get up super early to get their float, marching band, and balloon fix.
CBS, NBC and Fox also used football—one of the last bastions of live, must-see viewing—to lure in eyeballs.
CBS scored Bears-Lions at 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, followed by Fox’s Eagles-Cowboys matchup at 4:30 p.m. ET, with NBC’s regular Thursday Night Football slot bringing up the rear at 8:30 p.m. ET and Seahawks-49ers.
Read More: Adweek
Brief Take: Thanksgiving provides the perfect storm for marketers trying to attract live viewers, with a calendar stacked with sporting events, a popular holiday parade, and opportunities for event programming.
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