SNL was one of NBCUniversal's hottest upfront properties, and just won nine Emmys, more than any other program.
When Saturday Night Live returns on Sept. 30, much will have changed in the world since it last aired in May—for starters, last season's frequent comic targets Steve Bannon and Sean Spicer are no longer working in the White House. But one important thing will remain the same: the sketch comedy show will once again air live in all time zones, just as it did for last season's final four episodes, NBC announced today.
NBC said last season's live coast-to-coast airings resulted in an 11 percent jump in average live-plus-same-day viewers compared to earlier in the season, rising from 7.5 million to 8.3 million.
SNL had its highest ratings in 23 years last season, and just won nine Emmys—more than any other program—including outstanding variety series, and acting trophies for Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon, as well as guest hosts Melissa McCarthy and Dave Chappelle.
Ryan Gosling will host the Season 43 premiere on Sept. 30, with Jay-Z as musical guest.
Last month, NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt told Adweek that he and SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels were "leaning towards" airing the show live across the country again, but hadn't yet finalized the details.
The only holdup in discussions, the network chief said, was that in some time zones, SNL would air as early as 8:30 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. That's outside the FCC's "safe harbor" period between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time, in which stations can air "indecent and/or profane material," and allows SNL to get away with racier content.
Michaels didn't have to be persuaded to continue airing his show live across the country. "He likes the idea—if we don't put constraints on the show—because he loves the idea of being live everywhere," said Greenblatt.
In her Adweek cover interview last month, Linda Yaccarino, NBCUniversal's chairman of advertising sales and client partnerships, said that going live was "still under discussion" and likely wouldn't be decided by until "early September." Despite advertisers' frenzy around the red-hot show, the move was "a content decision," not a business one, said Yaccarino.
During this year's upfront, SNL was one of Yaccarino's most coveted properties among buyers, alongside This Is Us and NBC's Sunday and Thursday Night Football packages.