How much has NBC's “Christmas at Rockefeller Center” boosted the Nielsen ratings recently?

Despite hitting an all-time low Wednesday at New York's Rockefeller Center, the 89th Christmas tree lighting was a pretty easy winner in the network ratings. But has “Christmas at Rockefeller Center” always shone like tinsel on the Nielsen data sheets?

We looked at data from 1998, when the ceremony drew nearly 12.5 million viewers. That's double the annual event today – but it's still far from a record high. The 1999 lighting, weeks before the Y2K crisis event (remember that weird time?), had over 16 million total viewers.

With the exception of the 2001 Christmas tree lighting, when New York City really needed some Christmas cheer after 9/11, the only other time the televised ceremony had over 15 million viewers was in 1999. (The 2001 TV special reached 15.2 million viewers, just months after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.)

In total, Christmas at Rockefeller Center has exceeded the 10 million mark a whopping ten times since 1998. The last time that happened was in 2016, and if things continue like this, we may never see a number like that again.

NBC's “Christmas at Rockefeller Center” has aired for two hours each of the past three years, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. In previous years, it was just one-hour specials that aired during the family-friendly (read: the little kids are still awake) 8 p.m. hour.

With the exception of 2004 and 2010, when the special aired on Tuesdays, Christmas at Rockefeller Center has aired every Wednesday. While NBC did not broadcast the Christmas tree lighting until 1997, electronic ratings records do not begin until the following year.

See each available year in a table below. The previous record low for Christmas at Rockefeller Center came in 2019 (6.883 million total viewers). Much like in 2001, you can probably attribute the urgent need for a little more comfort and cheer to the global coronavirus pandemic.

“Christmas at Rockefeller Center” is no longer the only (televised) game in town. On Sunday, CBS will broadcast “The National Christmas Tree Lighting” for the first time, a National Parks event based on the tree on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, D.C. That event was previously streamed on the organization’s website and social media platforms.

Good luck with that, CBS. Not only is The National Christmas Tree Lighting only the second show on the calendar and a second-rate franchise (at best) as far as Christmas tree lighting goes, the special, hosted by LL Cool J, also faced a prime-time NFL game.

Broncos-Chiefs, an AFC West showdown with major postseason implications, begins Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. “The National Christmas Tree Lighting” on CBS begins 10 minutes later.