The decision to simulcast all five NBA Christmas Day games on ABC paid off in the ratings.
Despite facing the first ever Christmas NFL tripleheader, the NBA’s five-game Christmas Day slate averaged a 1.8 rating and 4.31 million viewers across ABC and ESPN — up a tick in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year (1.7, 4.08M). Compared to two years ago, when Christmas took place in the opening week of the season, ratings fell 10% (from 2.0) and viewership 4% (from 4.47M).
Bucks-Celtics was the top draw of the day with a 2.25 and 6.08 million — up 9% in ratings and 17% in viewership from Warriors-Suns in the same window last year (2.1, 5.19M) and the second-largest NBA regular season audience since the league returned from hiatus (Mavericks-Lakers averaged 7.01 million on Christmas Day two years ago).
The Celtics’ win, which peaked with 6.83 million from 7:30-7:45 PM ET, marked the first time since 1995 that the most-watched game on Christmas did not involve LeBron James, Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan (Jordan’s Bulls were left off the Christmas slate that year and neither James nor Bryant were in the NBA).
Three of the five Christmas windows posted a double-digit increase in viewership, with the two exceptions featuring the two biggest draws in the league — the shorthanded, sub-.500 Lakers and Warriors, whose games declined double-digits to multi-year lows.
Grizzlies-Warriors averaged a 1.9 and 4.75 million viewers in primetime, down 21% and 18% respectively from Nets-Lakers last year (2.4, 5.75M) and the least-watched primetime game on Christmas since 2016 — the last time the window aired on solely on cable (Timberwolves-Thunder: 1.39M).
Lakers-Mavericks scored a 1.8 and 4.38 million in the afternoon, down 11% in both measures from Celtics-Bucks last year (2.0, 4.93M) and the least-watched midday Christmas game since James’ first — Cavaliers-Magic on ESPN in 2003 (2.74M). That was also the last time the window aired solely on cable. Keep in mind the entirety of the game faced NFL competition, as opposed to the partial overlap of past years.
The additional ABC windows this year both hit viewership highs. Sixers-Knicks averaged a 1.9 and 4.07 million, up 36% and 39% respectively from Hawks-Knicks last year (1.4, 2.92M) and the most-watched Noon ET game on Christmas since Celtics-Knicks opened the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season on TNT (5.87M). Prior games avoided NFL competition, but also aired solely on cable (as opposed to ABC, ESPN and ESPN2) and without aid of out-of-home viewing.
The Suns-Nuggets nightcap averaged a 1.2 and 2.52 million, up 67% and 66% respectively from Mavericks-Jazz a year ago (1.52M) and the most-watched late night Christmas game since 2015 (Clippers-Lakers: 2.89M).
NBA Christmas Day viewership, past 25 years
(Nielsen estimates from ESPN)
