Nielsen: Classic holiday specials still very popular with kids
'Tis the season once again for television's classic holiday specials, as several of TV's perennial favorites scored big with children of all ages in the seven local markets (Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, DC and Philadelphia) where Nielsen has introduced Local People Meter service.
In the 40 years or more that these four Christmas classics ("A Charlie Brown Christmas," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer") have been presented on television, this is the first Holiday season that local demographic ratings have been widely available. Because December is not a traditional "sweeps" month, Nielsen was unable to provide demographic info on local programming until it introduced its LPM service.
The LPM info demonstrates the enduring appeal of the four classic specials, whose popularity appears to be driven by Baby Boomers watching these programs with their children. Among the four specials, "A Charlie Brown Christmas", which celebrated its 40th anniversary on television this year," had the highest overall average ratings, with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" scoring highest with kids.
By show, highlights of these ratings
A Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC - First Broadcast 1965)
• The most popular classic Holiday special overall in the LPM markets, "Charlie Brown" delivered its biggest ratings among all viewers (over age 2) in the Chicago market.
• It appealed to all ages, with strong performance among viewers age 25-54
• The program was especially popular with children, delivering double digit ratings for children age 2-11 in Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - starring Jim Carrey (ABC - Motion Picture 2000)
• "The Grinch" had its biggest overall local rating among all viewers in Philadelphia.
• "The Grinch's" highest rating among children age 2-11 was also in Philadelphia, with Boston and Chicago strong runners-up.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Animated Version (ABC - First Broadcast 1966)
• Philadelphia is still the highest overall among all viewers (P2+) among the LPM markets for the animated version of "The Grinch".
• "The Grinch's" highest rating among children 2-11 was in Washington DC, followed by Los Angeles
• In Philadelphia, "The Grinch" delivered nearly the same rating for P18-49 as it did for children 2-11.
It's a Wonderful Life (NBC - Produced in 1946)
• Among all LPM markets, "It's a Wonderful Life" achieved its highest overall popularity in Boston.
• Of the four Holiday classics, this was the only one that achieved higher ratings for adult viewers age 25-54 than for children.
• Among viewers age 25-54, "It's a Wonderful Life" was most popular in Chicago. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (CBS - First Broadcast 1964)
• "Rudolph's" biggest local rating among all viewers was highest in Boston, with Philadelphia a close second.
• The program achieved strong viewership across all adult demographics as well as children age 2-11.
• In Boston and Philadelphia, "Rudolph" had double digit ratings in Boston and Philadelphia.
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