While the drop in TV audiences represents one of the main topics of discussion this season, the NBA took advantage of a superb Christmas Day yesterday to bring together as many fans as possible. The Great League notably recorded an increase of 84% (!) compared to last year's Christmas matches.
5,25 millions.
This is the average number of viewers who watched the five Christmas Day games, according to Nielsen.
It must be said that the spectacle was there: a huge Victor Wembanyama vs Mikal Bridges duel in New York to start the day, followed by an XXL comeback for the Mavs against the Wolves, then a magnificent victory for the Sixers in Boston, before the highly anticipated reunion – and which kept its promises – between the two legends LeBron James and Stephen Curry. The evening ended with a Suns – Nuggets meeting that was a little less exciting than the previous matches, but still quality.
The NBA delivered its most-watched Christmas Day in five years, with viewership up 84% vs. last year across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+. The NBA on Christmas Day averaged 5.25 million viewers per game in the U.S.
The matchup between the @Lakers and @Warriors – the… pic.twitter.com/VjfjL8XQSU
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1872386930928648333?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The peak of Christmas Day, if the numbers are to be believed, was the LeBron vs. Steph duel.
- 7.7 million viewers on average;
- a peak at 8.3 million around 10:30 p.m., i.e. the money time of the match;
- Regular season match with the biggest audience over the last 5 years.
Faces of the NBA over the last decade (and even longer for LBJ), the King and the Chief offered us yet another thriller on the floor of Golden State's Chase Center.
Immediately after the meeting, LeBron took the opportunity to place a small tackle on the NFL (professional American football league), which has been organizing games at Christmas for three years now – two yesterday (compared to three in 2023) with a concert of Beyoncé as a bonus – while Christmas Day is historically “reserved” for the NBA.
“I love the NFL, I love the NFL, but Christmas Day is our day!” –LeBron James
We have not yet had the audience figures for yesterday's two NFL games, but the NBA has already succeeded. The Christmas matches were a great success this year, and the audiences followed!
Text source: NBA / Nielsen
LeBron James when asked what is still great about the NBA today: “LeBron and Steph”
Austin Reaves, off camera: “Great f—ing answer” pic.twitter.com/tUJLglDpbf
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1872131752682291672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
