‘SNL50': How the Celebration of a Golden TV Milestone Became a Test for NBCUniversal
The multi-year journey to last week's "SNL50" events was more than just a sophisticated marketing strategy for NBCUniversal. It was a thorough evaluation of the company's internal capabilities.
The February 14 "SNL50: The Homecoming Concert," held at Radio City Music Hall, and the February 16 "SNL50: The Anniversary Special" are perfect examples of the kind of unique live events that NBCU is counting on to attract large audiences in a TV viewership market that is becoming increasingly fragmented.
Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Photos of SNL's 50th Anniversary Celebration
As of February 21, taking into account some delayed viewing and social media activity, the anniversary and concert specials, as well as the February 16 "SNL50: The Red Carpet" broadcast, have reached 220 million viewers with 3.9 billion minutes viewed across NBC, Peacock, digital platforms, and social media, according to NBCU research.
The three-and-a-half-hour anniversary special was viewed by approximately 20 million people, with NBC seeing around 16 million of those viewers. The 50th season of the show, which still has nearly three months to go, has sold out all of its ad space on both TV and online platforms. This season, which is a record-breaker for the franchise, has generated "record-setting revenue" for any season of 'SNL' in its history, according to NBCUniversal.
Led by "SNL" creator-producer Lorne Michaels, the SNL50 events showcased NBCUniversal's ability to bring together NBC broadcasts, Peacock streaming, and a few digital platforms to deliver a large-scale live event. This strategy is crucial as NBCUniversal invests billions in its new NBA contract and prepares to sell off seven linear cable channels, including USA, CNBC, and MSNBC, later this year.
In short, NBC Universal aimed to demonstrate that a one-of-a-kind NBC event like "SNL50" could serve both as a tribute and as a revenue opportunity.
"Engineering what became a multicultural moment through the SNL50 weekend and beyond showcases the strength of the NBCUniversal network's capabilities," Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment and Studios, said
By making our special content available across our platforms, we're giving viewers the freedom to engage with NBC's programming in a way that works best for them," Langley said. "This results in more 'watercooler moments' as people watch, and often re-watch, episodes, highlights, and clips.
It was also a respectful gesture to the ship's captain. For Langley, a highlight of the SNL50 experience "was the overall atmosphere of the weekend in and around 30 Rockefeller Plaza - seeing people come together to celebrate Lorne and this iconic institution he created."
Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts highlighted the significance of "SNL's" enduring legacy and its lasting impact on American culture.
"Saturday Night Live" broke the mold, launched numerous careers, and became one of the most iconic fixtures in television history - it's a time capsule that has had a profound and lasting impact, capturing the essence of our culture for decades.
The chance to connect with a large audience - both live and on-demand - through SNL50 was substantial because the show already has a massive presence on major social media platforms (YouTube: 15.5 million subscribers; TikTok: 11.2 million; Instagram: 8.6 million). The show's timely topics spark a surge in social conversation with each new episode. Despite TV's growth, Lorne Michaels and his team are the only ones producing live sketch comedy on a near-weekly basis during the traditional TV season, which runs from September to May.
There's no other property that compares to 'SNL.' Despite being 50 years old, it remains just as relevant today as it was when it first debuted in 1975.
The company-wide activity across NBCUniversal and Comcast to support SNL50 approached Olympics-level coordination for the companies. One important lesson that NBCU has taken away from recent Olympics telecasts is the need to hammer on the tune-in message in the final days before an event. Awareness raised over a long promotional campaign is not the same as getting butts in seats at the appointed time.
"It's crucial to find the right people in the days leading up to the event. Although we've been building momentum over the past six months, what really matters is finding the right people during that critical time frame leading up to the event itself," Marshall said.
The deal-making for SNL's 50th anniversary kicked off in full force two years ago after NBCUniversal hinted at its spring upfront that "SNL" would have a big 50th anniversary celebration. These deals included groundbreaking premium ad partnerships for the show throughout the 2024-25 season, a four-day interactive experience at 30 Rock (get a feel for what it's like to host "SNL"!) and the feature-length documentary "Ladies and Gentlemen: 50 Years of SNL Music," which premiered January 27 on NBC and Peacock.
It required careful matchmaking to find the right sponsorship partners. Not every company was a good fit with the "SNL" brand, and some weren't prepared to let "SNL" writers have control over their advertisements. NBCU ended up signing multi-year deals with five presenting sponsors: Allstate, Capital One, L'Oreal Groupe, T-Mobile, and Volkswagen of America.
It was a two-year journey," Marshall said. "I give credit to Lorne, as well as the show, because they've been fantastic partners. And they wanted to bring in advertising partners in with the right tone and the right voice for the custom content we created. We wanted it to feel like it was coming from the show about a brand, which is different than the brand coming to the show.
The success of "SNL50" has solidified NBCU's confidence in the ability of live events to boost various business areas. While "SNL50" benefited from a lineup of stars and a wave of nostalgia spanning multiple generations, there are other opportunities on the horizon, according to Marshall.
Live entertainment is probably the most underappreciated part of the marketing mix today," he said, pointing out the growing popularity of NBC's live shows such as "Today," "The Tonight Show," and "The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade." "We're seeing a resurgence in demand from marketers who need to reach a large audience right before an event. We're starting to see marketers come back to the idea of saying, 'I need to reach someone on Tuesday, because I need them to be able to show up on Thursday to see a movie,' or whatever that event may be.
SNL50 events had a significant impact on other NBCUniversal brands. Videos posted on major social media platforms (YouTube, Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok) between February 14th and 17th generated over 750 million views across nine NBCUniversal labels (SNL, Peacock, NBC, E! News, E! Insider, E! Entertainment, "Today", "Access Hollywood", and "The Kelly Clarkson Show"). Authorized and unauthorized clips of the show spread rapidly across social media. However, something that didn't spread is advertising related to SNL.
That's something we've been very deliberate about over the years, because it's that crucial that we maintain control over that property," Marshall said. "Whether it's on linear, digital, or social platforms, the only place you can purchase ['SNL'] is through us.
Among other interesting facts and statistics about SNL50 shared by NBC:
Viewers in the Gen Z age group are spending 8% more time with "SNL" content now than they did 10 years ago.
The guests in attendance at the February 14 concert at Radio City included Al Franken, Caroline Kennedy, Claire Danes, Dakota Johnson, David Harbour, Diane Sawyer, Jonathan Scott, and Zoey Deschanel.
A February 15 rerun of NBC's first "Saturday Night Live" episode, which aired on October 11, 1975, hosted by George Carlin, attracted 3.7 million viewers.
About 200 extra seats were added to "SNL's" home at 30 Rock's Studio 8H to accommodate the large crowd for the February 16 anniversary special, bringing the total number of seats to 452.
The show used approximately 2,500 cue cards over the course of its three and a half hour duration.
Casting members from all 50 seasons of Saturday Night Live were in attendance, including Don Novello, also known as Father Guido Sarducci
**Guests in the audience for the February 16 special included Bobby Flay, Catherine Oxenberg, Christine Baranski, Edie Falco, Elliott Gould, Hanson, Meg Ryan, Sandra Oh, Sean Evans, Steve Guttenberg, Susan Lucci, Teri Hatcher, Theo Vonn and Ziwe.
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Here's a bonus look at vintage "Saturday Night Live" advertisements from the archives of
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