The NBA’s annual Christmas quintupleheader started and ended with viewership gains, though the main event was less of a draw.
Friday’s Mavericks-Lakers NBA Christmas Day game averaged a Nielsen-estimated 3.0 rating and 7.01 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, down 35% in ratings and 20% in viewership from last year (Clippers-Lakers: 4.6, 8.76M) and the lowest for the primetime Christmas window since 2017, the last time it did not feature the Lakers (Rockets-Thunder: 2.6, 4.88M).
While on the lower end of LeBron James’ Christmas Day appearances — ranking just 12th out of 15 — the Lakers’ easy win still delivered the ninth-largest NBA regular season audience since 2012.
In a year marked by cancellations, postponements and lower ratings, the game actually ranks higher among non-football sportscasts in 2020 (#15) than Clippers-Lakers did at the same point in 2019 (#30).
As one would expect, Mavericks-Lakers did not come anywhere close to the Vikings-Saints NFL game on FOX earlier in the day (20.1M). It more-than-doubled the competing edition of WWE Smackdown on FOX, which had a direct lead-in from that NFL game (3.30M).
Earlier in the day, Pelicans-Heat averaged a 1.7 and 3.50 million on ESPN — the most-watched Christmas game on cable in four years (2016 Celtics-Knicks: 3.69M). Compared to Celtics-Raptors last year, ratings fell a tick but viewership increased 5% (from 3.32M). The Clippers-Nuggets nightcap averaged a 1.1 and 2.06 million, up a tick and 21% respectively from last year (Pelicans-Nuggets: 1.0, 1.71M).
ABC’s afternoon games struggled. The Bucks’ 39-point rout of the Warriors averaged a 2.2 and 4.79 million, down 21% in ratings and 13% in viewership from last year (Bucks-Sixers: 2.8, 5.48M). The Nets’ 28-point rout of the Celtics fared worse opposite Vikings-Saints, averaging a 1.95 (-39%) and 4.28 million (-35%) — the lowest rated and least-watched Christmas game on broadcast TV in at least 20 years.
With Christmas taking place just four days into the new season, the NBA averaged its largest Opening Week audience since 2012 — 3.4 million viewers from December 22-25. Viewership increased 67% over last year’s Opening Week, which took place October 22-25. The obvious caveat is that Opening Week does not typically include Christmas.
Most-watched NBA regular season games since 2012
