Despite equally favorable matchups in the evening and primetime slots, it was CBS’ early afternoon matchup between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs that won Christmas Day. The 1 PM ET contest hit 29 million viewers across CBS and Nickelodeon, the largest audience for a December 25 game since 1989.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported the news from CBS, also adding that the positive reception from the football weekend would only increase the chances of the NFL finding a way to play games on Christmas next year when it falls on a Wednesday, even though league execs have stated they don’t plan on playing games outside of the usual Sunday/Monday/Thursday/Saturdays.
Florio also mentions that the final piece of the NFL Christmas Day puzzle has yet to be revealed — the 4:30 PM ET FOX broadcast between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. NFC East teams generally bring viewers, as seen with the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins viewership total from Christmas Eve and the record-breaking Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl rematch from Week 11.
Front Office Sports added separately that the game reached a peak audience of 37.2 million.
