 In its original airing , the show finished second in ratings for the week of November 16 – 22 , 1998 , with a Nielsen rating of 16 @.@ 0 , equivalent to approximately 15 @.@ 5 million households . It was the network 's second highest @-@ rated show that week , after ER , which aired on the same night . The episode premiered in the United Kingdom on Sky1 on February 25 , 1999 and reached 1 @.@ 88 million viewers which made it the most watched show that week . It aired on Channel 4 on August 27 , 1999 and was watched by 4 @.@ 40 million viewers making Friends the channel 's third @-@ highest rated program for the week ending August 29 , 1999 . 
