The NBA celebrated a remarkable achievement this Christmas, delivering its highest viewership numbers in five years. The five-game holiday slate averaged 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+, and ESPN+ platforms, marking an impressive 84% increase from the previous year.
The highlight of the day came from the Los Angeles Lakers' thrilling 115-113 victory over the Golden State Warriors, featuring an electrifying matchup between LeBron James and Stephen Curry. This game drew an average of 7.76 million viewers, peaking at 8.32 million viewers around 10:30 p.m. ET, making it the most-watched regular season game in five years.
The day kicked off strong with the New York Knicks defeating the San Antonio Spurs 117-114, attracting 4.91 million viewers - the highest-rated Christmas Day opener in 13 years. The remaining games also showed notable growth, with the Philadelphia 76ers versus Boston Celtics drawing 5.16 million viewers, Minnesota Timberwolves against Dallas Mavericks reaching 4.38 million, and Denver Nuggets facing Phoenix Suns capturing 3.84 million viewers.
The NBA's digital presence soared as well, generating over 500 million video views across its social media platforms - an all-time record. The games reached a global audience, broadcasting in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages.
The success extends beyond Christmas Day, with NBA viewership across ESPN platforms showing a 4% increase this season compared to last year. The league has accumulated 11 billion views across its social and digital channels, reinforcing its position as the professional sports league with the largest social media following.
Netflix's first-ever NFL Christmas games drew record-breaking streaming audiences while falling short of last year's traditional broadcast numbers. The streaming doubleheader averaged 24.2 million viewers according to Nielsen fast national ratings. The Baltimore Ravens victory over the Houston Texans pulled in 24.3 million viewers, while the Kansas City Chiefs win against the Pittsburgh Steelers attracted 24.1 million viewers.