Nickelodeon’s most-watched premieres
Published: July 3, 2019
Updated: January 9, 2023
TV ratings are complicated. There are demos, viewers, “ratings”, shares, households, and numerous other terms that are used to differentiate different sets of ratings data. A commonly reported number for many years (at least since the mid-2000s) has been total viewers – all people ages 2 and up – that are watching a program.
Nickelodeon had been the #1 kids network, with actual kid demos (2-5, 2-11, 6-11, etc.) since the 1980s, and #1 with total viewers across all of cable since 1996. That changed in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Disney Channel took their crown for a short time. Today it’s hard to tell who can proudly wear what (as TV ratings are really bad).
Nevertheless, Nickelodeon has been very successful with TV ratings. So let’s take a look at their most watched premieres of all time! But first, please Note:
- Data is based on total viewer (ages 2+) ratings for Live (through 12/25/2005) and Live + Same Day (since 12/26/2005) from Nielsen Media Research.
- Live + Same Day (Live+SD) includes DVR playback through 3:00am on the same day/night. It has been the standard reported number since 2006. Before that, just Live viewing was counted.
- Available data only. Chart includes all known premieres with 6,000,000+ total viewers.
- This list only includes premiere telecast ratings. Repeats excluded. (Yes, there are repeats that could be on this list if it weren’t just for premieres!)
- Sources include Zap2it, TV by the Numbers, The Programming Insider, The Futon Critic, Travis Yanan, Son of the Bronx, Ratings Ryan, and other TV ratings resources over the past couple decades!
| Rank | Program “Episode” or Notes |
Live/Live+SD Total Viewers | Date Day Time |
| 1 | Rugrats “All Growed Up” |
11,913,000 | Jul-21-2001 Sat 8:00p |
| 2 | iCarly “iSaved Your Life” |
11,164,000 | Jan-18-2010 Mon 8:00p |
| 3 | iCarly “iQuit iCarly” |
8,848,000 | Dec-5-2009 Sat 8:00p |
| 4 | The Fairly OddParents “Fairly OddBaby” |
8,809,000 | Feb-18-2008 Mon 8:00p |
| 5 | SpongeBob SquarePants “Atlantis SquarePantis” |
8,757,000 | Nov-12-2007 Mon 8:00p |
| 6 | SpongeBob SquarePants “Dunces and Dragons” |
8,560,000 | Feb-20-2006 Mon 8:00p |
| 7 | Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh Nickelodeon Original Movie |
8,095,000 | Dec-5-2008 Fri 8:00p |
| 8 | SpongeBob SquarePants “Have You Seen This Snail?” |
7,934,000 | Nov-11-2005 Fri 8:00p |
| 9 | iCarly “iFight Shelby Marx” |
7,866,000 | Aug-8-2009 Sat 8:00p |
| 10 | iCarly “iGot A Hot Room” |
7,740,000 | Jul-30-2010 Fri 8:00p |
| 11 | Kids’ Choice Awards 2009 | 7,675,000 | Mar-28-2009 Sat 8:00p |
| 12 | SpongeBob SquarePants “What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?” |
7,666,000 | Oct-13-2008 Mon 8:00p |
| 13 | SpongeBob SquarePants “Truth or Square” |
7,658,000 | Nov-6-2009 Fri 8:00p |
| 14 | Kids’ Choice Awards 2010 | 7,639,000 | Mar-27-2010 Sat 8:00p |
| 15 | SpongeBob SquarePants “The Sponge Who Could Fly” |
7,635,000 | Mar-21-2003 Fri 9:30p |
| 16 | iCarly “iGo to Japan” |
7,599,000 | Nov-8-2008 Sat 8:00p |
| 17 | FRED: The Movie | 7,597,000 | Sept-18-2010 Fri 8:00p |
| 18 | iCarly “iThink They Kissed” |
7,564,000 | Sept-12-2009 Sat 8:00p |
| 19 | iCarly “iPsycho” |
7,518,000 | Jun-4-2010 Fri 8:00p |
| 20 | Kids’ Choice Awards 2008 | 7,449,000 | Mar-29-2008 Sat 8:00p |
| 21 | iCarly “iOMG” |
7,355,000 | Apr-9-2011 Sat 8:00p |
| 22 | iCarly “iParty With VICTORiOUS” |
7,316,000 | Jun-11-2011 Sat 8:00p |
| 23 | The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) Nickelodeon TV premiere |
7,307,000 | Nov-10-2006 Fri 8:00p |
| 24 | Kids’ Choice Awards 2011 | 7,287,000 | Apr-2-2011 Sat 8:00p |
| 25 | Zoey 101 “Goodbye, Zoey?” |
7,276,000 | Jan-4-2008 Fri 8:00p |
| 26 | Big Time Rush “Big Time School of Rocque” |
6,773,000 | Jan-18-2010 Mon 8:30p |
| 27 | iCarly “iDo” |
6,697,000 | Oct-11-2010 Mon 8:00p |
| 28 | SpongeBob SquarePants “Best Day Ever” |
6,658,000 | Nov-10-2006 Fri 7:30p |
| 29 | iCarly “iDate A Bad Boy” |
6,472,000 | May-9-2009 Sat 8:00p |
| 30 | The Penguins of Madagascar “Launchtime / Haunted Habitat” |
6,439,000 | Mar-28-2009 Sat 9:30p |
| — | iCarly “iGoodbye” |
6,430,000 | Nov-23-2012 Fri 8:00p |
| — | SpongeBob SquarePants “Party Pooper Pants” |
6,321,000 | May-17-2002 Fri 9:30p |
| — | iCarly “iLook Alike” |
6,299,000 | Mar-7-2009 Sat 8:00p |
| — | Kids’ Choice Awards 2012 | 6,162,000 | Mar-31-2012 Sat 8:00p |
| — | VICTORiOUS “Beggin’ on Your Knees” |
6,152,000 | Apr-2-2011 Sat 9:30p |
| — | SpongeBob SquarePants “Pest of the West” |
6,141,000 | Apr-11-2008 Fri 8:00p |
| — | Kids’ Choice Awards 2007 | 6,115,000 | Mar-31-2007 Sat 8:00p |
| — | SpongeBob SquarePants “The Great Patty Caper” |
6,102,000 | Nov-11-2010 Thu 8:00p |
| — | SpongeBob SquarePants “The Monster Who Came to Bikini Bottom / Welcome to the Bikini Bottom Triangle” |
6,054,000 | Jan-28-2011 Fri 8:30p |
| — | Zoey 101 “Fake Roommate” |
6,023,000 | Jan-27-2008 Sun 8:30p |
| — | SpongeBob SquarePants “Sponge-Cano! / The Main Drain” |
6,004,000 | Jan-28-2011 Fri 8:00p |