NBC’s ongoing commitment to live musical broadcasts got a significant boost last night thanks to The Wiz Live!. Despite being headlined by new actress Shanice Williams, the musical itself and the star-studded supporting cast kept viewers excited.
According to Nielsen ratings posted at TV By The Numbers, The Wiz Live! averaged 11.14 million viewers over its two-hour, 45-minute runtime. It also pulled in a 3.3 18-49 rating.
Both numbers were a significant jump from last year’s Peter Pan Live with Allison Williams and Christopher Walken. That special only had 9.1 million viewers and a 2.3 18-49 rating.
However, both The Wiz and Peter Pan couldn’t stand up to The Sound of Music Live with Carrie Underwood. That special drew a whopping 18.5 million viewers and a 4.6 rating in the key demographic.
The best thing NBC can say though is that The Wiz stood up strong against a CBS NFL broadcast, which Peter Pan didn’t have to do. The Thursday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings averaged 12.93 million viewers and a 3.5 18-49 rating.
The ratings for the other networks were pretty forgettable. ABC’s CMA Country Christmas special, which started at 9 p.m., had 5.75 million viewers and a 1.0 18-49 rating. Fox only ran two Bones repeats.