NBC’s Thanksgiving Day special, “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina,” will crown one of the sport’s great purebreds as Best In Show on Thursday, bringing canine competition and family entertainment to American television viewers as part of a 20th anniversary celebratory broadcast.

The coverage of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia competition airs from noon – 2 p.m. in all time zones following the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and before football-watching takes over the day. The broadcast is seen annually by a total audience of over 20 million in what has become an American holiday tradition. An encore presentation will also air in primetime on Saturday, Nov. 27, from 8 – 10 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT/MT).

In a new holiday offering, Peacock will exclusively stream a one-hour special, National Dog Show Junior, from 2 – 3 p.m. in all time zones, immediately following the broadcast coverage on NBC.  The kid-focused content will be hosted by Matt Iseman, Laurie Hernandez and kid reporter Anna Laible, combining highlights and features customized to a younger audience.

The National Dog Show Presented by Purina will be hosted by John O’Hurley (Seinfield, Dancing with the Stars) and expert analyst David Frei, one of America’s foremost experts on all things canine. Olympics host and tennis analyst Mary Carillo joins as sideline reporter for a broadcast that is a celebration of man’s best friend with features on the dogs in our lives and on the competition, which annually features America’s top show dogs. 

One new breed certified by the American Kennel Club (AKC) will be on hand at the show. It is the Biewer Terrier (pronounced bea-ver, like the dam-building animal), competing in the Toy Group as one of almost 200 different breeds and varieties.

The National Dog Show will be featured in different digital formats, including a livestream of NBC’s Thanksgiving Day telecast via NBC Sports online at NBCsports.com/Live, or through the NBC Sports app, which is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

NBC’s digital offering will also include on-demand coverage of all seven groups plus Best In Show. In addition, NBCSports.com and NationalDogShow.com will provide video of the examination of every breed in the group judging competition with specific commentary by Wayne Ferguson, the President of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, following the broadcast.