The report from Edison Research comes as an estimated 80 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving festivities this week, according to AAA.
As a whole, the program registered as the fourth most-watched regular-season episode of all time and is up 21% over the comparable edition from last season.
Borrell Associates projects that figure will climb considerably over the next four years as the industry undergoes what it describes as a "great reshuffling."