The NBA got viewers for Christmas, even while going up against NFL games.
The NBA’s five-game Christmas line-up was the league’s most-watched in five years, with the games averaging about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, the league said on Thursday based on Nielsen’s preliminary numbers.
It’s an 84 per cent rise over the NBA’s Christmas numbers from 2023.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ 115-113 victory over the Golden State Warriors — a game pitting Olympic teammates LeBron James and Stephen Curry — averaged 7.76 million viewers and peaked with about 8.32 million viewers toward the end of the contest, the league said.
MOST-WATCHED
Those numbers represent the most-watched NBA regular season game in five years.
“I love the NFL,” James said in his televised postgame interview on Wednesday night. “But Christmas is our day.”
The NBA said all five Christmas games on its schedule — San Antonio at New York in Victor Wembanyama’s holiday debut, Minnesota at Dallas, Philadelphia at Boston, Denver at Phoenix and Lakers-Warriors — saw year-over-year viewership increases.
Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each scored 27 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 110-100. The Nuggets blew out Phoenix 117-90 on Monday night in Denver, but the Suns put up much more of a fight despite playing without Devin Booker (groin) and Grayson Allen (concussion protocol).
Joel Embiid popped up from a pre-game fall and scored 27 points with nine rebounds, making four of five from three-point range and sinking a pair of free throws with three seconds left to turn back Boston’s final rally and lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-114 victory.
NEARLY OBLITERATED
Victor Wembanyama nearly obliterated the Spurs’ Christmas record book in his first time playing on the holiday. Nearly won the game, too. His 42 points and 18 rebounds could only get San Antonio close before falling short, with the New York Knicks pulling out a 117-114 victory.
Anthony Edwards scored 26 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held on for a 105-99 Christmas Day victory over Dallas after Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic left the game with a strained left calf. Kyrie Irving scored 39 points for the Mavs.
Wednesday’s numbers pushed NBA viewership for the season across ESPN platforms to up four per cent over last season. The league also saw more than 500 million video views on its social media platforms on Wednesday, a new record.
For the NBA, those are all good signs amid cries that NBA viewership is hurting.
“Ratings are down a bit at the beginning of the season. But cable television viewership is down double digits so far this year versus last year,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month.
“You know, we’re almost at the inflection point where people are watching more programing on streaming than they are on traditional television. And it’s a reason why for our new television deals, which we enter into next year, every game is going to be available on a streaming service.”
Part of that new package of television deals that the NBA is entering into next season also increases the number of regular season games broadcast on television from 15 to 75. – AP