Ratings for Donald Trump SNL Best Since 2012

By Chris Ariens 

Five months after NBC cut business ties with Trump, the GOP frontrunner was back on the network as host of Saturday Night Live last night. And according to overnight ratings the show was SNL’s most-watched since a January, 2012 show hosted by Charles Barkley with musical guest Kelly Clarkson.

In the top 56 Nielsen metered markets, the show drew a 6.6 household rating and and a 2.7 in adults 18-49, the best since that Jan. 7, 2012 episode.

SNL had tough competition in the first 15 minutes from the LSU-Alabama SEC game on CBS which ran until 11:45 p.m. ET. The show will also get a boost via time-shifted viewing. In fact original episodes this season have grown +51 percent when the live plus seven day metric is factored in. Live plus same day national ratings will come out Thursday.

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Update | Nov. 12: From NBC:

The Nov. 7 telecast of “Saturday Night Live,” hosted by Donald Trump with musical guest Sia, ranks as the show’s most-watched episode since December 2013, as well as its top-rated edition in adults 18-49 since January and highest-rated in households since January 2012.

The Nov. 7 “Saturday Night Live” averaged a 2.34 rating, 10 share in adults 18-49, 5.99/15 in households and 9.272 million viewers overall, according to “live plus same day” viewership data from Nielsen Media Research.

It’s the most-watched “Saturday Night Live” telecast since Dec. 21, 2013 (with host Jimmy Fallon and musical guest Justin Timberlake, 9.444 million). In adult 18-49 rating, it’s the high for “SNL” since Jan. 24, 2015 (with host and musical guest Blake Shelton, 2.37).

In household rating, it’s the top “Saturday Night Live” in nearly four years, since Jan. 7, 2012 (with host Charles Barkley and musical guest Kelly Clarkson on the night of an NFL Playoff overrun, 6.54).

The Nov. 7 telecast is up versus “SNL’s” season-to-date averages for originals by +34% in 18-49 (2.34 vs. 1.75, “live plus same day”) and +61% or 3.5 million persons in total viewers (9.272 million vs. 5.749 million).

Note that “SNL” adds significant viewership via time-shifting, growing by +51% this season going from “live plus same day” ratings to “live plus seven day” ratings in adult 18-49 rating (from a 1.75 rating to a 2.65).

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