Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’ Becomes Most-Watched Broadcast Movie in More Than Three Years
Following the passing of beloved icon Dolly Parton, tribute specials across major networks garnered significant viewership in late August. Reruns, news specials, and entertainment features attracted millions, with ABC's '9 to 5' broadcast becoming the most-watched film on a broadcast network in over three years, highlighting her enduring appeal.
Tributes to Dolly Parton following her death on August 25 sparked a significant surge in television viewership across ABC, CBS, NBC and The CW, with several networks quickly scheduling special programmes celebrating her life and career.
Among them, ABC’s August 30 repeat of the 1980 classic 9 to 5 attracted 4.275 million viewers in live-plus-same-day ratings, making it the most-watched movie broadcast on a network in more than three and a half years, since December 2022. The film also became ABC’s most-watched movie in nearly six years, surpassing the network’s previous benchmark set by The Sound of Music on December 20, 2020.
ABC’s Dolly Parton: An American Original – Special Edition of 20/20, hosted by David Muir on August 25, averaged 4.051 million viewers and topped its 10 p.m. time slot against CBS’s competing Parton tribute.
Its audience later grew to 6.556 million across ABC’s digital platforms, Disney+ and Hulu, while the programme became the most-watched title on Disney+ and Hulu on August 26. CBS’s A CBS News Special: Dolly Parton—An American Idol drew 2.085 million viewers, while NBC’s Dolly: An NBC News Special initially attracted 3.952 million before rising to 4.5 million when Peacock viewing was included.
Tributes Draw Millions Across Television
The tributes continued throughout the following days, with The CW’s encore of Dolly Parton: Here I Am drawing 1.299 million viewers and ABC’s repeat of Dolly Parton: An American Original attracting another 3.566 million.
CBS’s Remembering Dolly: A Rhinestone Life, hosted by Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner, performed even better, averaging 5.326 million viewers after a strong 60 Minutes lead-in and featuring archival interviews alongside tributes from figures including Dionne Warwick, Melissa Etheridge, Diane Warren, Debbie Allen and Jennifer Nettles.
Parton’s death also boosted news audiences, with World News Tonight with David Muir averaging 9.2 million viewers on August 25 and recording its strongest weekly audience in five months.