The overnight Nielsen ratings for Fox’s A Christmas Story Live! indicate a weak turnout compared to its rival programming and recent live musical broadcasts.
The December 17 broadcast pulled a 2.8 rating/5 share, according to The Wrap, putting it behind the other three major networks. Both CBS and NBC had football programming to earn high figures, with the latter taking the night with a 12.3/21 for the Cowboys vs. Raiders game. Fox also trailed ABC’s broadcast of The Sound of Music (the 1965 film), which earned a 3.0/5.
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Comparatively, Fox’s January 2016 presentation of Grease: Live earned a 7.4 overnight rating, winning the night with no football-driven competition and drawing in just over 12 million viewers. Last year’s Hairspray Live! drew a 5.9 overnight rating for NBC, matching the Peacock network’s Peter Pan Live!.
The inaugural telecast of the recent live musical renaissance, 2013’s The Sound of Music Live!, is still the show to beat with a 10.6 overnight rating, ultimately pulling 18.3 million viewers.
