Report - published February 13, 2015

Weekend Update: Ratings-Starved ‘SNL’ Celebrates 40 Years

Weekend Update: Ratings-Starved ‘SNL’ Celebrates 40 Years

Key insights from this report:

  1. Looking at ratings average during Season 40, the November 1st episode starring Chris Rock as guest host and and Prince as the musical guest is the highest-rated of this season to-date. The episode edged the Blake Shelton, January 24th episode in total viewership (7.4 vs 7.25 million), household rating (4.6 versus 4.5), P 18-49 rating (2.42 vs. 2.37) and P 25-54 rating (3.1 versus 2.9). The episodes both scored a 1.52 in the millennial demo. The James Franco-hosted episode from December 6th, 2014 was neck-and-neck with these two in the millennial demo (1.51), but a bit further behind in the other demos and average total viewership. Nicki Minaj was the musical guest for that episode. The October 11th episode hosted by SNL alum Bill Hader is the lowest-rated / least-watched of the season to-date. The past three episodes of SNL fall into the season's top 5 in terms of P2+ and P 18-49 viewership, making the case that the program has gotten off to a positive start in 2015.
  2. Season 40 has been a struggle from a ratings standpoint. Additionally, there has been an increase in median viewer age, and a season-by-season decrease in Live+SD viewership since the 2010 - 2011 season (#36). The current season is by far the lowest-rated of the bunch. The most significant dropoff seems to be in the millennial demo. The dropoff in this particular demo was steady, similar to the others, but not quite as extreme as the drop this season from the 2013-2014 season.
  3. Despite the decline in viewership, Saturday Night Live remains one of the NBC's top programs, particularly among viewers 18-49, the demo NBC values the most. SNL continues to maintain a stranglehold on the late night television competition. On a positive note, the 2015 episodes have been some of the season's highest-rated to-date. Can SNL maintain a positive performance for the duration of season #40? NBC is under intense scrutiny right now, and this light-hearted special centered around one of its most important and successful franchises comes at a very interesting time. This should be an enjoyable night for all involved, and a welcome respite from the drama surrounding the Peacock Network. And who knows, perhaps the special could haul in strong ratings and even reignite interest in the season going forward.

As many know, Saturday Night Live is in the midst of its 40th year on the air, and NBC will air a three-hour 40th anniversary special this coming Sunday night (8 – 11pm ET) that appears to be a reunion of epic proportions. A sprinkling of the A-listers joining former cast members like Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, and Tina Fey, to name just a few include Justin Timberlake, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, Derek Jeter, Robert De Niro, Jerry Seinfeld, Jack Nicholson, Betty White, Tom Hanks, and Peyton Manning. Musical stars Taylor Swift, Kanye West and Sir Paul McCartney are also slated to be involved. Today’s Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Carson Daly and Al Roker will host; party starts with a red carpet special on Sunday at 7pm.

In honor of this star-studded event, RI has decided to look at the state of Saturday Night Live from a viewership standpoint. Has the series been able to fend off this seemingly industry-wide ratings malaise? Which demos continue to tune into SNL? How has the program performed in recent months and years, and how does it stack up against the weeknight late night talk shows? With the exception of The Super Bowl, NBC’s original programs have started off 2015 in rather pedestrian fashion. With all of the drama surrounding the network in recent days, a strong ratings performance from its legendary franchise would be welcomed with open arms.

 Saturday Night Live Ratings Performance in 2015 (Live+SD)

Three episodes have aired in 2015:

The January 24th episode hosted by Blake Shelton is also the most-watched of the three. The country music star and co-host of NBC’s The Voice attracted an average of 7.3 million Live+SD viewers to the 11:30pm program. The episode before that, hosted by popular actor/comedian Kevin Hart on January 17th, scored 6.2 million viewers in total. This was the first episode of 2015.

The January 31st  episode (the most recent one) featuring actor J.K. Simmons scored 6.3 million viewers in total. Its 18-49 rating was the same as the Hart episode (Hart often brings a core demo audience to the table), but the 25-54 rating was 2.6 versus 2.5 for Hart. Interestingly, all three episodes scored similar ratings with the millennial demo, which likely means that Shelton’s audience, while larger, was also older.

Saturday Night Live Season 40 to-Date (Live+SD)

Here is an episode-by-episode look at SNL Season 40 to-date. Sort by episode, air date or demo by clicking on the column header:

Date Originator Program Host Live+SD P2+ Proj (000) Households Rtg% P 18-34 Rtg% P 18-49 Rtg% P 25-54 Rtg%
09/27/2014 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT CHRIS PRATT 5627 3.46 1.39 1.93 2.42
10/04/2014 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT SARAH SILVERMAN 5583 3.49 1.16 1.83 2.22
10/11/2014 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT BILL HADER 5044 3.32 0.96 1.62 2.06
10/25/2014 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT JIM CARREY 5420 3.37 1.15 1.91 2.43
11/01/2014 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT CHRIS ROCK 7436 4.61 1.52 2.42 3.06
11/15/2014 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT WOODY HARRELSON 5435 3.47 1.13 1.96 2.46
11/22/2014 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT CAMERON DIAZ 5708 3.57 1.12 1.92 2.45
12/06/2014 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT JAMES FRANCO 6295 4.02 1.51 2.07 2.53
12/13/2014 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT MARTIN FREEMAN 5400 3.40 1.15 1.81 2.26
12/20/2014 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT AMY ADAMS 5635 3.47 1.47 1.93 2.29
01/17/2015 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT KEVIN HART 6170 3.88 1.29 1.98 2.51
01/24/2015 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT BLAKE SHELTON 7250 4.52 1.52 2.37 2.87
01/31/2015 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT J.K. SIMMONS 6251 3.88 1.37 1.99 2.60

The November 1st episode starring Chris Rock as guest host and and Prince as the musical guest is the highest-rated of this season to-date. The episode edged the Blake Shelton, January 24th episode in total viewership (7.4 vs 7.25 million), household rating (4.6 versus 4.5),  P 18-49 rating (2.42 vs. 2.37) and P 25-54 rating (3.1 versus 2.9). The episodes both scored a 1.52 in the millennial demo. The James Franco-hosted episode from December 6th, 2014 was neck-and-neck with these two in the millennial demo (1.51), but a bit further behind in the other demos and average total viewership. Nicki Minaj was the musical guest for that episode. The October 11th episode hosted by SNL alum Bill Hader is the lowest-rated / least-watched of the season to-date. The past three episodes of SNL fall into the season’s top 5 in terms of P2+ and P 18-49 viewership, making the case that the program has gotten off to a positive start in 2015.

Saturday Night Live Ratings: Seasons 36 – 40 TD (Live+SD / Live +7)

How has the program been trending over the recent seasons?

Measurement Interval P2+ Live+SD Proj (000) P2+ Live+7 Proj (000) Households Live+SD Rtg% Households Live+7 Rtg% P 18-34 Live+SD Rtg% P 18-34 Live+7 Rtg% P 18-49 Live+SD Rtg% P 18-49 Live+7 Rtg% P 25-54 Live+SD Rtg % P 25-54 Live+7 Rtg%
Season 36 7107 8456 4.47 5.25 2.09 2.81 2.67 3.36 3.23 3.98
Season 37 6754 8378 4.35 5.37 1.87 2.67 2.51 3.34 3.07 3.97
Season 38 6443 8340 4.19 5.37 1.74 2.56 2.41 3.38 2.95 4.03
Season 39 6407 8277 4.04 5.19 1.68 2.56 2.36 3.29 2.85 3.91
Season 40 TD 5943 7575 3.73 4.73 1.29 1.94 1.98 2.76 2.47 3.37

Not much good news to report here, unfortunately. There has been an increase in median viewer age (as has been the case for most programs and networks), and a season-by-season decrease in Live+SD ratings since the 2010 – 2011 season (#36). The current season is by far the lowest-rated of the bunch. The most significant dropoff seems to be in the millennial demo. The dropoff in this demo was steady, like the others, but not quite as extreme as the drop this season from the 2013-2014 season.

Saturday Night Live Viewer Skew: Seasons 36 – 40 ‘TD (Live+7)

Measurement Interval Originator Program P 2+ Proj (000s) M 2+ Proj (000s) F 2+ Proj (000s) Male viewership Female viewership
Season 36 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT 8456 4101 4355 48.5% 51.5%
Season 37 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT 8378 3952 4426 47.2% 52.8%
Season 38 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT 8340 3949 4391 47.4% 52.6%
Season 39 NBC SATURDAY NIGHT 8277 4046 4230 48.9% 51.1%
Season 40 ‘TD NBC SATURDAY NIGHT 7575 3666 3909 48.4% 51.6%

Despite the decrease in average viewership in recent years, the one constant has been the audience composition, at least from a gender standpoint. The percentage has hovered at around the 51 – 53% female range.

Saturday Night Live vs. Weeknight Talk Shows (2014 – Present)

On Tuesday evening, Jon Stewart announced that he is leaving The Daily Show later in the year. How does SNL stack up against his program and other weeknight talkers?

Despite a decline in viewership in recent years, Saturday Night Live still towered ahead of the weeknight, late-night competition in 2014. The aforementioned Daily Show (Comedy Central) and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) both scored a .9 in the demo, followed by Colbert and Kimmel. Letterman moves ahead of Fallon in household viewership, but Fallon bests Letterman in all other categories (18-34, 18-49, 25-54 and even average total viewership). Chelsea Lately was the lowest rated late-night program across the board last year. The show no longer exists.

Saturday Night Live versus NBC Programming

Despite the decline in viewership, Saturday Night Live remains one of the NBC’s top programs, particularly among viewers 18-49, the demo NBC values the most. SNL continues to maintain a stranglehold on the late night television competition. On a positive note, the 2015 episodes have been some of the season’s highest-rated to-date. Can SNL maintain a positive performance for the duration of season #40? NBC is under intense scrutiny right now, and this celebratory special honoring one of its most important and successful franchises comes at a very interesting time. This should be an enjoyable night for all involved, and a welcome respite from the drama surrounding the Peacock Network. And who knows, perhaps the special could haul in strong ratings and even reignite interest in the season going forward.

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