Highlights From an Incredible Year: 2025 At NBCUniversal
Over the past year, NBCUniversal has premiered hit films, launched an epic new theme park, celebrated SNL's 50th anniversary, and brought fans the best in live events and sports.
December 18, 2025
This past year marked extraordinary milestones across the NBCUniversal portfolio. The grand opening of Universal Epic Universe, the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, the biggest BravoCon to date, major box office successes with Jurassic World Rebirth and the live action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, the premiere of hit shows All Her Fault and The Paper, the phenomenal success of Love Island USA and The Traitors, closing the 2025-2026 Upfront with the highest ad sales volume in the company's history, and many successes from NBC News are just a few highlights from a transformative year.
Leadership in Live Sports
NBCUniversal's live programming reached tens of millions of fans in 2025, amplifying viewer engagement across multiple franchises and touchpoints while showcasing the enduring power of real-time programming to attract and hold mass audiences. From events and entertainment to sports, NBCUniversal leveraged its expertise in live programming to build on its forward-looking viewership growth strategy.
20th Season of Sunday Night Football
NBC Sports' Sunday Night Football kicked off its milestone 20th season as primetime's biggest stage for the NFL this fall. Exclusive Spanish-language coverage from Telemundo Deportes, which carried the entire NBC Sunday Night Football package, continues through two playoff games and Super Bowl LX. NBC's Sunday Night Football finished the 2024-25 TV season as primetime's No. 1 show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 14th consecutive year – the most consecutive years atop the charts. The show also delivered more NFL viewers under age 50 than any other NFL media partner across all game windows and topped all media partners in the coveted Adult 18-34 and Adult 18-49 demographics.
Coming up, fans can tune into the Peacock Holiday Exclusive between the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers on December 27th. Sunday Night Football will lead into NBC Sports' 21st Super Bowl as Super Bowl LX airs on Feb. 8, 2026.
NBA's triumphant return to NBC Sports
The sports stories don't end with football. The history of the NBA on NBC goes back more than 70 years, when basketball itself was still in its infancy. The announcement that NBA would return to NBC and debut on Peacock was met with eager anticipation by fans, both those who remember the glory days of the Michael Jordan era and younger fans who have only seen highlights. With innovative new viewing experiences like Performance View, emerging talent, and the cutting-edge production format of On the Bench, NBCUniversal has launched a new chapter in basketball and live sports storytelling. The Oct. 21 tipoff broadcast drew the highest ratings for an NBA tipoff in 15 years.
Under the 11-year agreement announced in July 2024, NBC and Peacock are carrying NBA and WNBA regular-season and playoff basketball games across numerous platforms beginning with the 2025-26 season. All NBA games presented by NBC Sports stream live on Peacock. The 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., home of the Los Angeles Clippers, will air on Feb. 13-15, 2026. Peacock will stream the Castrol Rising Stars on Feb. 13. NBC and Peacock will present State Farm All-Star Saturday Night and the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 14 and 15, respectively. Telemundo and Peacock will also present the NBA All-Star Game in Spanish.
Major League Baseball returns to NBC Sports in 2026
November's announcement of a three-year rights deal marks the return of baseball to its historic home on NBC, which will serve as the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, MLB Sunday Leadoff, Opening Day and Labor Day primetime games, and the entire Postseason Wild Card Round. With the addition of baseball to the lineup, NBC Sports will now expand the iconic Sunday Night sports franchise into a year-round sports fan destination for the top three league sports.
Leadership in Live Entertainment
SNL50: celebrating the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live
For more than 50 years, Saturday Night Live has influenced cultural conversations and pushed the boundaries of live entertainment. At the beginning of the year, NBC celebrated SNL's 50th anniversary with a series of cross-platform events and content, all leading up to a three-hour primetime special on Feb. 16.
Key highlights of SNL's 2025 birthday bash included 50 Seasons in 50 Days – a series of 50 unforgettable sketches, one for each year, hand-picked by the Saturday Night Live team. 50 Years of SNL Music, directed by Questlove and Oz Rodriguez, explored SNL's iconic musical performances. A free Studio 8H-inspired Immersive Fan Experience at Rockefeller Center gave fans a chance to experience the magic of SNL in person. SNL's social channels showcased its five-decade legacy daily leading up to the anniversary. SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, a four-part docuseries that premiered Jan. 16 on Peacock, featured behind-the-scenes footage, celebrity interviews, and insights from over 60 contributors. Finally, the three-hour primetime event SNL50: The Anniversary Special aired Feb. 16, 8-11 PM ET on NBC and Peacock. Saturday Night Live's 50th season took home 12 statuettes at the 77th Emmy Awards as the Television Academy recognized SNL's continued excellence.
NBC's Wicked: One Wonderful Night
NBC's Wicked: One Wonderful Night special on Nov. 6 was the network's top-rated primetime special for 2025 after February's SNL50: The Anniversary Special. It was the first of several highly anticipated November specials from NBC and Peacock. Fans can tune in to the special for an encore broadcast on Dec. 31 on NBC.
NBCUniversal's premier live holiday events
The 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade delivered 35.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, its biggest combined audience on record, outperforming last year's parade by 3.9 million viewers. The 18-49 demo was up 13% from 2024.
The live 8:30 a.m. ET airing on NBC drew 25.4 million viewers, the most-watched entertainment telecast in nearly 7 years (since the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 24, 2019 on ABC). In the 18-49 demo, the parade's original airing stands as the highest-rated entertainment telecast in five years since NBC's 2020 Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In addition to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, NBCUniversal delivered America's most iconic holiday moments, from the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks to Christmas at Rockefeller Center.
The best in scripted and unscripted entertainment
Universal Television Entertainment scored a number of successes in 2025, including the premiere of The Paper, a mockumentary series from Greg Daniels and Michael Koman and starring Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore, set in the same universe as NBC's Emmy Award-winning series The Office. The Nov. 6-premiering All Her Fault, the suburban mystery-thriller starring Sarah Snook and Dakota Fanning, is the most-watched original series in Peacock history, ranking among the Top 5 streaming original seasons in the U.S. each of its three weeks of availability.
Unscripted milestones made an impact as well and dominated the cultural conversation. In its debut week, The Traitors Season 3 premiered as the most-watched unscripted series in the U.S. Over the summer, Love Island USA Season 7 garnered more than 18 billion minutes streamed on Peacock. The blockbuster reality series was the No. 1 streaming reality series for 9 consecutive weeks and ranks as the No. 1 streaming original reality series of 2025. Next Gen: NYC is Bravo's No. 1 most-watched series premiere and season premiere of all time across platforms, delivering the No. 1 most-watched Bravo episode of all time on Peacock. Bravo dominated unscripted in 2025 with eight of the top ten cable reality shows – with the majority of returning Bravo shows enjoying season-over-season growth on Peacock.
Additionally, America’s Got Talent was the No. 1 most-watched entertainment series of the summer for the 20th consecutive year, and Destination X was No. 1 new show of the summer reaching over 20 million viewers across platforms.
BravoCon, the ultimate three-day celebration for Bravo superfans, united 30,000 attendees and featured 160 stars, once again demonstrating the strength and influence of unscripted content with 300 million cross-platform engagements. Peacock, the exclusive home of BravoCon, delivered its most robust coverage yet, giving fans at home unprecedented access to the weekend's buzzy reunions, breaking news, and must-see moments.
Universal Pictures' blockbuster year included How to Train Your Dragon, Jurassic World Rebirth, and Wicked: For Good
This year's strong theatrical performance was driven by hits like Jurassic World Rebirth, How to Train Your Dragon, and Wicked: For Good.
Wicked: For Good debuted at No. 1 globally, setting a record as the biggest worldwide opening ever for a Broadway musical adaptation. Since its record-breaking release on Nov. 21, the film has earned more than $400 million at the global box office. The total to date is $469.8M.
The live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon soared to the top of the global box office during its June 13 opening weekend, earning an impressive $197.6 million worldwide and debuting as the No. 1 film globally. Domestically, it brought in $84.6 million, marking the franchise's biggest North American opening to date. Internationally, the film launched in 81 markets, generating $113 million, with standout performances in Mexico, the U.K. & Ireland, China, Brazil, Korea, and Australia. The film to date has earned more than $630 million worldwide.
NBCUniversal amplified the film's success through a multi-platform strategy that included streaming on Peacock, consumer products, and the immersive Isle of Berk experience at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando.
Universal and Amblin's Jurassic World Rebirth took the world by storm, debuting on July 2 as the No. 1 movie globally and scoring the second biggest global opening of 2025 after Zootopia 2. Worldwide, Jurassic World Rebirth roared past $860 million, bringing the Jurassic franchise to nearly $7 billion.
The film opened on Wednesday, July 2, in 4,308 North American theaters and claimed the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office. Internationally, Jurassic World Rebirth launched in 82 markets and ranked No. 1 in nearly every territory except Saudi Arabia and Portugal. The highly anticipated blockbuster earned an outstanding $322.6 million worldwide.
Universal Destinations & Experiences brings new immersive worlds to life
Opening Universal Epic Universe
Universal Epic Universe officially opened on May 22, 2025, marking the first major U.S. theme park to open in the US in 25 years. The 750-acre development features five immersive worlds, three hotels, and over 50 attractions, dining, and shopping experiences, making it Comcast NBCUniversal's most ambitious and technologically advanced theme park to date.
The park's iconic gateway portals became its debut signature as NBCUniversal amplified excitement across its portfolio.
The new theme park presents a level of immersion and innovation that is unmatched as it unlocks the portals to five astounding worlds: Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe – each filled with extraordinary adventures that go beyond guests' wildest imagination.
Introducing Universal Horror Unleashed
Universal Horror Unleashed opened this year in Las Vegas featuring an all-new year-round experience created by the masters of horror at Universal Destinations & Experiences. The horror spectacle contains eight live experiences, including four terrifying haunted houses, four themed areas with unique live entertainment, and an array of delicious food and beverage offerings.
Set in an abandoned production warehouse filled with fan-favorite classics and original creations, guests can step inside four haunted houses that will bring their horror nightmares to life. The most iconic monsters of all time stalk the halls at Universal Monsters. Blumhouse's The Exorcist: Believer takes visitors through a terrifying and mind-bending tale of demonic possession. Just try to escape Leatherface and his deranged family in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre haunted house. Finally, Scarecrow: The Reaping, a fan-favorite original story, takes guests deep into desolate farmlands packed with horrifying scarecrows bent on revenge.
NBC News reaffirms its leadership role
In 2025, NBC News continued setting the highest standards for excellence in broadcast journalism, leading among all news networks in the U.S. TODAY remained the No. 1 morning show, Meet the Press led the key A25-54 demo, and Dateline continued its unrivaled dominance in true crime. NBC Nightly News achieved its largest A25–54 share in six years, while NBC News Daily ranked No. 1 among afternoon broadcast news in the key demo. NBC News NOW is on track for another record year, NBCNews.com remains a top digital news destination, and NBC News stands as the No. 1 news brand on TikTok.
A look ahead to an action-packed 2026 with NBCUniversal
As we look ahead to 2026 – and the 100th anniversary of NBC – the company is poised for its biggest year ever. With the Super Bowl, the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, a new theme park, and a slate of blockbuster films and television series, 2026 promises an extraordinary year unlike any other.
Legendary February will define February 2026 for NBC's live sports leadership, as the network delivers an unprecedented slate of three world-class events in a single month. On Feb. 6, NBCUniversal will present coverage the Opening Ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. NBCUniversal will be on the ground across northern Italy, providing comprehensive coverage of the Games through Feb. 22. Just two days after the Opening Ceremony, NBC Sports will once again present the biggest game in football with Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8. One week later, on Feb. 15, the spotlight shifts to Los Angeles for the NBA All-Star Game, showcasing the league's brightest stars in one of the most anticipated events on the NBA calendar. Together, this monthlong lineup will feature innovative, groundbreaking ways for fans to watch and engage, including an unprecedented level of Olympic coverage.
The live events don't stop there. NBCUniversal is also gearing up for its June-July coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament, prepares to make soccer broadcasting history. Telemundo will broadcast all 104 matches live – 92 on Telemundo and 12 on Universo – marking the most Men’s World Cup matches ever aired on a broadcast network in U.S. media history, regardless of language. Every match will stream live on Peacock and the Telemundo App. This will be the first World Cup in the United States in more than 30 years, and the first ever co-hosted by three nations, as the U.S., Mexico, and Canada welcome the tournament across 16 host cities. Telemundo's presentation will mark the most extensive Spanish-language coverage in World Cup history – reminding North American audiences there's nothing like experiencing soccer in Spanish.
Universal Destinations & Experiences is slated to open new parks in the coming years. In 2026, Universal Kids Resort, opening in Frisco, TX, is a first-of-its-kind park that will feature themed areas based on beloved characters including DreamWorks Animation's Shrek, Puss in Boots, Trolls and Gabby's Dollhouse; Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants; and xIllumination's Minions, as well as Jurassic World.
Other upcoming highlights in 2026 include the April 3 premiere of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, starring Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, and Kevin Michael Richardson; a Universal Pictures epic based on literature's most famous epic – Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey – will hit theaters on July 17, starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland; Illumination's Minions 3; and many more. Upcoming shows across the TV slate include The Traitors (S4), The 'Burbs, Five-Star Weekend, The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, The Valley: Persian Style, Love Island USA (S8), and The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.
Finally, 2026 will mark NBC's 100th anniversary, with NBCUniversal celebrating the company’s pioneering achievements and role in shaping culture over the past 100 years, while looking ahead to the next 100 years of innovation, storytelling, and delivering unforgettable experiences.
