'Disney Celebrates America' 24-Hour Marathon Earns Nearly 50 Million Viewers

Disney’s 24-hour programming block Disney Celebrates America reached 49.6 million total viewers last weekend.

Disney Celebrates America by Numbers

'Disney Celebrates America' 24-Hour Marathon Earns Nearly 50 Million Viewers — AMERICA 250 SPECIAL – 7/1/26 – A historic show celebrating Franco-American Friendship on America’s 250th Anniversary will be featured in Disney Celebrates America’s primetime show on July 3, 2026. (ABC/LORENZO BEVILAQUA) STATUE OF LIBERTY, US F16 FLYOVER

Kicking off on Friday, July 3, the marathon ran through Saturday, July 4. It was led by World News Tonight anchor and managing editor David Muir and featured 70 live remotes and reporting from all 50 states. Coverage included stories about local celebrations and hometown heroes, along with an exploration of America’s seven natural wonders.

The event was available across ABC, Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, National Geographic, Freeform, FX, and ABC News Live. It culminated in “Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash” hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

Disney's 24-hour programming block Disney Celebrates America reached 49.6 million total viewers last weekend. — AMERICA 250 SPECIAL – 6/29/26 – David Muir interviews Brandi Carlile on Liberty Island in New York. (ABC/AL DRAGO) DAVID MUIR

On Friday evening, “America the Beautiful,” anchored by Muir with exclusive reporting from atop the Statue of Liberty, was the number 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). It was ABC’s top non-sports performance in Total Viewers since November 3, 2023.

The next day, “Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest” delivered an all-time high of 5.017 million Total Viewers and a 0.68 rating among Adults 18-49, more than tripling last year’s performance.

“7 Wonders of America” earned 4.508 million Total Viewers and a 0.40 rating among ADults 18-49, making ABC the number 1 non-sports network in the time period across broadcast and cable.

“Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash” that evening delivered 5.435 million Total Viewers and a 0.83 rating among Adults 18-49. The telecast peaked during the fireworks spectacular with 6.165 million Total Viewers and a 0.99 rating in Adults 18-49. The special ranked number 1 in primetime across all television.

This marks the first time that any network topped NBC in primetime on July 4 since 2010.

“Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash” also earned ABC its strongest July 4 primetime performance since the year 2000.

Disney Celebrates America was the number 1 most social program (non-sports) across broadcast and cable on July 4, seeing 1.2 million total social interactions.

Did you watch any part of the 24-hour programming for America’s 250th birthday? Let us know on social media.

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