Amid conversations and concerns about declining ratings for the NBA, the league and The Walt Disney Company delivered a record-setting performance with the most-watched Christmas Day slate of NBA games in five years. Fast national data from Nielsen Media Research demonstrates an 84% year-over-year increase in viewership of the five-game schedule, averaging 5.25 million viewers per matchup in the United States across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+. The thrilling victory by LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers over Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors led the way averaging 7.76 million viewers in prime time, the most-watched NBA regular season and Christmas Day game in five years.
The Lakers-Warriors game, which aired on ABC, ESPN, Disney+ and ESPN+, featured play-by-play announcer Mike Breen, analysts Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson and reporter Lisa Salters on the airwaves. This matchup attained a 499% year-over-year increase from the comparable game last year between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. Viewership for this game peaked with an audience of 8.32 million at 10:30 p.m. EST as the game was coming down to the final possessions.
Shortly thereafter, the Phoenix Suns started play against the Denver Nuggets, a Western Conference matchup that averaged 3.84 million viewers. This marks the largest audience for a late-Christmas window in history, achieving a 161% year-over-year rise from last year’s matchup between the Suns and Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks faced the Minnesota Timberwolves this year in the second game of the day, averaging 4.38 million viewers and up 6% year-over-year.
Preceding the prime time matchup, the Philadelphia 76ers reigned victorious over the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in a game that averaged 5.16 million viewers. The final audience for this game will increase when viewership information from the Boston designated market area becomes available. For now, the matchup is up 3% year-over-year from the Celtics’ matchup against the Lakers last year.
Christmas Day action started from Madison Square Garden where Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks hosted Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. The Noon EST tip-off averaged 4.91 million viewers, marking the most-watched opening game on Christmas Day since 2011. Viewership for the game, which includes the animated Dunk the Halls alternate presentation on ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+, was up 98% year-over-year from when the Knicks hosted the Bucks in this window last season.
The NBA attained more than 500 million video views across social media platforms on Christmas Day, marking an all-time record. These games also accounted for the most-viewed Christmas Day in the history of NBA League Pass, and matchups were distributed in 214 countries and territories across 60 languages. With its performance on Christmas Day included, the league has generated a record 11 billion views on its social and digital channels for the season to date.
Viewership of the NBA on ESPN platforms is up 4% year-over-year, while overall NBA viewership on ABC, ESPN and TNT is down 4% for the season. Leading up to Christmas Day, NBA viewership on these networks increased every week in December by an average of 7% per week. Emirates NBA Cup games on ESPN and TNT were up 6% compared to non-NBA Cup matchups during the same timeframe as well.
The Walt Disney Company will commence the first season of a new 11-year media rights deal with the NBA, reportedly paying an average of $2.62 billion annually. Warner Bros. Discovery is in its final season with live NBA game broadcasts in the United States, although it will still retain a digital package and international rights as part of a settlement for an investor lawsuit. Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Amazon’s Prime Video will begin broadcasting NBA games under the new 11-year media rights term next year, which, when combined with Disney, is worth a total of $77 billion.
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