Elvis vs. The Beatles: Who Had More Viewers on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’?
Elvis Presley and The Beatles both made massive, widely-viewed appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in the early days of their careers. The choice to have both acts on the show was a good one for Ed Sullivan; both Elvis and The Beatles drew millions of viewers. Which act brought in a larger audience, though?
Elvis and The Beatles both made massive debuts on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’
In 1956, Elvis made his debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. Sullivan initially said he would not have Elvis on the show because he didn’t think he was appropriate for family viewing. After his competitor, The Steve Allen Show, trounced Sullivan in ratings when he had Elvis on, Sullivan reversed his stance.
This decision was a good one. Elvis agreed to make three appearances on the show. On his debut performance, 60 million viewers tuned in (via The Ed Sullivan Show).
In 1964, The Beatles appeared on the show. Their appearance was huge for the band. While they were already a sensation in the United Kingdom, the show lit the fires of Beatlemania in the United States. 73 million people watched their debut (via The Ed Sullivan Show).
While The Beatles technically had more viewers, they only pulled in 45.3% of households with televisions. Elvis, on the other hand, brought in 82% of the television viewing audience.
Elvis made far more money than The Beatles on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’
While Elvis appeared on the show eight years earlier than The Beatles, he made significantly more money than the band did. After Sullivan realized the amount of viewers Elvis could pull, he offered him an unprecedented $50,000 for his three shows.
The Beatles, on the other hand, had to split $10,000 amongst themselves (via NBC News). Still, the exposure the show gave them was more than worth it.
The American artist sent The Beatles a message ahead of their performance
When The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, Elvis reached out to wish them well. Sullivan read the message ahead of their performance.
“Congratulations on your appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show and your visit to America,” he said in the message (per Express). “We hope your engagement will be a successful one and your visit pleasant. Give our best to Mr. Sullivan. Sincerely, Elvis and The Colonel.”
This was meaningful to the band, who had long idolized Elvis. He was one of the major reasons they all decided to pursue music.
“I’m an Elvis fan because it was Elvis who really got me out of Liverpool,” John Lennon said per the book Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick. “Once I heard it and got into it, that was life, there was no other thing. I thought of nothing else but rock’n’roll; apart from sex and food and money — but that’s all the same thing, really.”
