The NFL may have officially usurped the NBA for Christmas Day, as a game posted yet another massive ratings number. FOX Sports’ 4:25 PM ET matchup between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles received 29 million viewers, with a peak of 31.67 million viewers as the game neared its dramatic conclusion.
The game was FOX’s most-watched Christmas Day telecast of any kind and marked a 29 percent increase compared to last year’s matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos. The nature of this year’s game may have helped, as not only was it a matchup between NFC East rivals, but the game was close until the final whistle, while last year’s game was a blowout decided by the end of the first half.
If you’re keeping score at home, the three NFL games on Christmas Day drew viewership totals of 29.2 million for the Raiders and Chiefs, 29 million for Giants/Eagles, and 27.2 million for the Monday Night Football matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. According to figures provided by Front Office Sports, the five NBA games combined garnered 14.1 million viewers, meaning the “least-watched” NFL matchup from Monday nearly doubled the total of every single NBA game.
