An NBA Finals rematch propelled the NBA’s Christmas Day slate to a four-year viewership high.
The NBA’s annual Christmas Day quintupleheader averaged a 3.0 rating and 5.5 million viewers on ESPN and ABC, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — up 7% in ratings and 6% in viewership from last year on ESPN/ABC and TNT (2.8, 5.2M), and up 20% and 24%, respectively, from 2013 on ESPN/ABC alone (2.5, 4.5M).
This year’s Christmas slate ranks as the highest rated since 2012 (3.1) and the most-watched since 2011 (6.3M), the latter doubling as opening day of the lockout-shortened season. Overall, the league averaged its third-largest audience on the holiday since the schedule expanded to five games in 2008, edging 2012 (5.55M to 5.50M) and behind only 2011 and 2010 (6.0M).
Cavaliers/Warriors topped the charts with a 5.7 and 11.2 million on ABC, up 19% in ratings and 20% in viewership from Cavaliers/Heat last year (4.8, 9.3M) and up 35% and 43%, respectively, from Heat/Lakers in 2013 (4.2, 7.8M). Golden State’s win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched regular season NBA game since Heat/Lakers on Christmas 2010 (6.4, 13.1M).
Going back further, the game earned ABC’s third-highest rating and viewership during the regular season since reacquiring NBA rights in 2002 — behind only Heat/Lakers in 2010 (13.1M) and Heat/Lakers on Christmas 2004 (7.3, 13.2M).
Earlier in the day, Bulls/Thunder had a 3.2 and 5.9 million — down a tick in ratings and 1% in viewership from Thunder/Spurs last year (3.3, 5.9M) and up 7% and in both measures from Thunder/Knicks in 2013 (3.0, 5.5M). The 3.2 is tied as the second-lowest for a Christmas Day game on ABC in the past eight years.
ESPN averaged 3.3 million viewers for its three games, including 3.4 million for the primetime doubleheader of Spurs/Rockets and Clippers/Lakers — off 3% from last year’s Lakers/Bulls and Warriors/Clippers games on TNT (3.5M) but up 12% from Rockets/Spurs and Clippers/Warriors in 2013 (3.0M). Individual numbers for those games are available here.
(Fri. numbers from ESPN Media Zone)
