Justin Timberlake spurs ratings success for ‘SNL’ and NBC

Justin Timberlake did double duty on “Saturday Night Live” as the host and musical guest on March 9. TV By the Numbers reported on March 11 that he spurred a ratings hit for NBC, drawing in 3.7 million viewers in the desirable 18-49 demographic category. Justin Timberlake’s episode of “SNL” was the highest-rated one of the season and pulled in close to one million more viewers than last week’s show starring Kevin Hart.

It’s certainly been one of the most talked about episodes this season. Justin Timberlake opened “Saturday Night Live” with a nod to the “Five Timers Club,” which consisted of other celebs that have hosted the iconic comedy five times or more. Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Drew Barrymore, John Goodman, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks and Candice Bergen all made an appearance to welcome Timberlake to the exclusive club. To re-watch Justin’s very funny Five Timers opening monologue, head to the “SNL” website. In addition, Timberlake appeared in numerous skits that were hilarious, including one where he danced “The Harlem Shake” to promote a vegan restaurant and a parody of Elton Johns’s “Candle in the Wind.” He also brilliantly performed “She’s So Fine” with Jay-Z.

In addition to huge ratings, Justin Timberlake also spurred a ton of rave reviews on social networking sites. Below are a few Twitter posts from March 11.

• “Justin Timberlake is making a comeback and Justin Bieber is finally at his breaking point. There can only be one Justin.”
• “NBC has essentially declared this Justin Timberlake Week.”
• “Justin Timberlake made my heart sing.”
• “Seriously, everything he does is just so well put together.”
• “What goes around comes all the way back around.”
• “Justin Timberlake has to be the coolest dude on the planet!”

About “Saturday Night Live”:
NBC’s Emmy Award-winning late night comedy showcase is currently in its 38th season. Over the last three decades, “SNL” has launched the careers of many of the brightest comedy performers of a generation; and, as “The New York Times” noted on the occasion of the show's Emmy-winning 25th Anniversary special in 1999: "In defiance of both time and show business convention, 'SNL' is still the most pervasive influence on the art of comedy in contemporary culture." At the close of the century, “Saturday Night Live” placed seventh on “Entertainment Weekly's” list of the Top 100 Entertainers of the past fifty years.

“SNL” won four Emmy Awards in 2012 and was nominated for ten others. The show has also won the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and was cited as "truly a national institution." The National Association of Broadcasters inducted “Saturday Night Live” into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and it continues to garner the highest ratings of any late-night television program, entertaining millions each week.

“Saturday Night Live,” which premiered Oct. 11, 1975, is broadcast live from NBC's famed Studio 8H in New York City's Rockefeller Center.

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