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Nashville's 4th of July special was a massive ratings win for ABC

Adam Tamburin

Ryan Seacrest hosts live primetime July 4 celebration, featuring powerhouse music performances, spectacular fireworks and more from Nashville. — Ryan Seacrest hosted the ABC special that aired live from Nashville. Photo: Tanner Yeager/Disney via Getty Images

Nashville's explosive fireworks helped ABC notch a surprise ratings win on July 4, when the primetime TV special broadcast live from Music City beat a longtime favorite on another network.

Why it matters: Nashville is gaining more clout as a TV ratings draw.

By the numbers: "Nashville's Star-Spangled Bash" averaged 5.44 million viewers across three hours, besting NBC's two-hour special "Macy's 4th of July Fireworks," which pulled in 4.94 million viewers.

👀 Stunning stat: That was the first time since 2010 that any other network has beaten NBC in primetime on July 4, per the Hollywood Reporter.

ABC reported that the Nashville special pulled in its best July 4 viewership numbers in 26 years.

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Nashville's 4th of July special was a massive ratings win for ABC

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