For the first time, ESPN and ABC will both air the entire NBA Christmas Day broadcast schedule.
Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this December, so the league and Disney have partnered to air all five broadcasts on both networks, which will benefit both local affiliates of ABC and ESPN’s ratings of all-day NBA action.
ABC was slated to originally broadcast the Lakers/Mavericks, Bucks/Celtics, and Grizzlies/Warriors but will now broadcast the entire schedule for the day.
With Christmas falling on Sunday, the majority of the NFL’s schedule will be played on Saturday. Only three games will be played Sunday, with one each on FOX, CBS, and NBC. ABC will broadcast five of the league’s premiere matchups for more than 12 consecutive hours.
The NBA Christmas Day schedule will begin one hour earlier than the NFL schedule, and will see the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets broadcast begin as the Sunday Night Football broadcast approaches its conclusion.
