The tenth season of the NBA on ABC got off to a strong start on Christmas Day.
The Christmas Day Heat/Mavericks NBA regular season game earned a 4.9 final rating and 9.023 million viewers on ABC, up 7% in ratings and 4% in viewership from the comparable game last season (BOS/ORL: 4.6, 8.657M), and up 49% and 54%, respectively, from the comparable game in 2009 (BOS/ORL: 3.3, 5.855M).
The game ranks as the fifth-most viewed NBA regular season game over the past ten seasons.
Later in the day, Bulls/Lakers drew a 5.6 final rating and 11.014 million viewers, down 8% in ratings and 16% in viewership compared to last season (MIA/LAL: 6.4, 13.113M), but up 27% and 32%, respectively, from 2009 (CLE/LAL: 4.4, 8.316M).
Despite the decline, the game ranks as the third-most viewed NBA regular season game over the past ten seasons.
10 Most-Viewed NBA Regular Season Games
Past ten seasons
|
#
|
Date
|
Time
|
Game
|
Net
|
Rating
|
Viewers (000)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Sat., 12/25/04 | 3:00 PM | MIA?104, LAL 102 | ABC |
7.3
|
13,182
|
|
2
|
Sat., 12/25/10 | 5:00 PM | MIA 96, LAL 80 | ABC |
6.4
|
13,113
|
|
3
|
Sun., 12/25/11 | 5:00 PM | CHI 88, LAL 87 | ABC |
5.6
|
11,014
|
|
4
|
Thu., 12/25/08 | 5:00 PM | BOS?83, LAL?92 | ABC |
5.3
|
9,960
|
|
5
|
Sun., 12/25/11 | 2:30 PM | MIA 105, DAL 94 | ABC |
4.9
|
9,023
|
|
6
|
Sat., 12/25/10 | 2:30 PM | BOS 78, ORL 86 | ABC |
4.6
|
8,657
|
|
7
|
Fri., 12/25/09 | 5:00 PM | CLE?102, LAL?87 | ABC |
4.4
|
8,316
|
|
8
|
Sun., 12/25/05 | 3:00 PM | LAL?92, MIA?97 | ABC |
4.8
|
8,063
|
|
9
|
Wed., 12/25/02 | 8:30 PM | SAC?105, LAL?99 | ABC |
4.5
|
7,484
|
|
10
|
Tue., 10/26/10 | 7:30 PM | MIA?80, BOS?88 | TNT |
4.6
|
7,348
|
(Christmas Day numbers from Media Life Magazine)
