NBC's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Generates Second Most-Watched Week 2 Telecast in 5 Years

The Oct. 7 telecast of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE has generated the show's second-biggest Week 2 overall viewership in five years, trailing over that span only last year's election-fueled result, according to "fast official" "live plus same day" results from Nielsen Media Research. With a telecast hosted by Gal Gadot and featuring musical guest Sam Smith, last night's "Saturday Night Live" averaged 6.802 million viewers overall and a 1.76 rating in adults 18-49.

The Oct. 7 edition, which aired live coast to coast (11:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. PT) and counted unduplicated viewers from 11:30 encores in western markets, generated the show's second-biggest overall audience for the second "SNL" original telecast of a season since Sept. 22, 2012, when the episode hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and featuring musical guest Mumford & Sons, averaged 6.912 million.

Over that five-year span, the only bigger result for a Week 2 "SNL" came with last year's edition, hosted by Lin-Manuel Miranda and featuring musical guest Twenty One Pilots (7.140 million viewers overall, 2.11 rating in adults 18-49 on Oct. 8, 2016). Last year's second original is the show's most-watched Week 2 edition since 2004 and highest-rated in 18-49 since 2013.

This week's "Saturday Night Live" maintained 96% of the prior week's season-premiere audience (6.802 million vs. 7.099 million), the strongest Week 1 to Week 2 retention for "SNL" in three years, since the Oct. 4, 2014 edition hosted by Sarah Silverman and featuring musical guest Maroon 5, retained 99% of the previous week's premiere (5.583 million vs. 5.627 million).

Note that "Saturday Night Live" will add significant viewership via time-shifting and VOD. Last season's 21 originals grew by +60% in adult 18-49 rating and +3.406 million persons or +44% in total viewers going from "live plus same day" Nielsens to "live plus seven day" figures..

That season's average 11.071 million viewers in L+7 made 2016-17 the show's most-watched season in 23 years, "SNL's" best since 1993-94 (11.320 million). The 3.51 average in L+7 adults 18-49 rating made it the show's best season in that demo in seven years (since the 2009-10 season, a 3.51).

Image courtesy of NBC

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