Nearly 50 Million Viewers Tune in for Epic 24-Hour ‘Disney Celebrates America’ July 4th Programming Event

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Disney Entertainment Television marked the nation’s historic 250th anniversary, reaching 49.6 million Total Viewers with the ambitious 24-hour programming block “Disney Celebrates America,” which kicked off Friday, July 3, and continued through Saturday, July 4. “World News Tonight” anchor and managing editor David Muir led the coverage alongside a powerhouse team of national and local news talent, featuring 70 live remotes and reporting from all 50 states. Coverage included stories about local celebrations and hometown heroes, along with a unique exploration of the seven natural wonders of America.

The sweeping programming event, which was available across ABC, Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, National Geographic, Freeform, FX and ABC News Live, culminated in a one-of-a-kind celebration from the heart of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, as Emmy® Award-winner Ryan Seacrest hosted the three-hour live special “Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash.” Highlights include the following:

Friday, July 3

• Anchored by David Muir with exclusive reporting from high atop the Statue of Liberty, “America the Beautiful” (10-11 p.m. EDT/PDT) was the No. 1 non-sports telecast of the night in Total Viewers (3.880 million), Adults 18-49 (0.34 rating) and Adults 25-54 (0.46 rating) and stood as ABC’s top non-sports performance in Total Viewers in the time period in over two and a half years — since 11/3/23.
  • “America the Beautiful” beat the combined averages of CBS and NBC in the time period (+31% – 3.880 million vs. 952 million combined for “Boston Blue” encore and “Dateline”) and led CNN’s “Independence Day Eve Live with Anderson and Andy” by +503% (vs. 643,000).
• In addition, “America the Beautiful” beat cable competition including Fox News Channel (3.030 million) and MSNOW (898,000).

Saturday, July 4
Kicking off at 5 a.m. (EDT), Disney’s live coverage led the TV landscape throughout the day (non-sports).

• “Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest” (12:30-1 p.m. EDT) delivered 5.017 million Total Viewers and a 0.68 rating among Adults 18-49, vaulting to an all-time high in Total Viewers.
  • The half-hour special more than tripled last year’s performance, up +209% in Total Viewers (vs. 1.624 million) and +48% in Adults 18-49 (vs. 0.46 rating) over last year.

• “7 Wonders of America” (1-3 p.m. EDT) posted 4.508 million Total Viewers and a 0.40 rating among Adults 18-49, making ABC the #1 non-sports network in the time period across broadcast and cable.
  • As beloved ABC News anchors explored the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone National Park and more paired with National Geographic Explorers, the special was the #1 non-sports telecast in the time period, outdelivering the combined averages of Fox News Channel (2.260 million), CNN (590,000) and MSNOW (433,000) in the time period by +37% (4.508 million vs. 3.283 million).  

• • Capping off an historic day, Ryan Seacrest hosted the live three-hour special “Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash” (8-11 p.m. EDT) in collaboration with the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (NCVC) and ITV America Nashville, which delivered 5.435 million Total Viewers and a 0.83 rating among Adults 18-49. Building its audience throughout the night with powerhouse music performances, the telecast peaked during the 10:45-11:00 p.m. quarter hour during the fireworks spectacular with 6.165 million Total Viewers and a 0.99 rating in Adults 18-49.
  • ABC’s “Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash” ranked No. 1 in primetime across all of television, outperforming NBC in Total Viewers (+24% – 5.435 million vs. 4.381 million), which included the “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks” (4.935 million from 8-10 p.m.) and a one-hour encore of the fireworks special (3.272 million from 10-11 p.m.).
  • With ABC’s primetime victory, this marks the first time that any network topped NBC in primetime on July 4 in 16 years — since 7/4/10.
  • “Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash” (5.435 million) also led Fox News Channel’s “America 250: Celebrating Freedom” by +57% (vs. 3.465 million), CBS’ “The Great American Block Party” by +173% (vs. 1.993 million), CNN’s “The Fourth in America: Celebrating 250” by +327% (vs. 1.274 million) and MSNOW’s “We the People”/”Hope Comes Home” by +1567% (326,000).
  • In addition, with “Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash,” ABC turned in its strongest 4th of July primetime performance in 26 years — since 7/4/00.
• “Disney Celebrates America” was the No. 1 most social program (non-sports) across broadcast and cable on July 4, seeing 1.2 million total social interactions.

Source: Nielsen National Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings for 7/3/26 and 7/4/26. Talkwalker SCR. Reach based on 1+minute qualifier. Data starting with the 24/25 Season is based on Big Data Plus Panel, while prior years are Panel Only.

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