LeBron James and the NBA are finding themselves adapting to the growing prominence of the NFL on Christmas Day.
On Wednesday, both leagues experienced notable success as Netflix recorded a historic number of streams for NFL games in the U.S., while the NBA also achieved significant holiday viewership, its strongest in the past five years, as reported by Nielsen.
An impressive 65 million viewers in the U.S. engaged with at least one NFL game during the day, showcasing the sports fans’ interest across platforms.
The Baltimore Ravens triumphed with a 31-2 score against the Houston Texans, averaging an audience of 24.3 million, while the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 29-10, averaging 24.1 million viewers.
The NBA, on the other hand, averaged roughly 5.25 million viewers for its five games broadcast on ABC and ESPN.
In a lighthearted comment during his postgame interview, James acknowledged the NFL’s impact on the holiday, stating, “I love the NFL. But Christmas is our day.”
Still, the ratings reflected that there is ample audience space for both leagues.
Historically, the NBA has held a monopoly on the Christmas sports audience, but the NFL has strategically positioned itself as a major player on this holiday, aligning itself with other key events such as Kickoff Weekend and Thanksgiving.
NFL Media’s executive vice president, Hans Schroeder, took James’ comments in stride, expressing enthusiasm about their partnership with Netflix in this inaugural season.
He emphasized the compelling viewership numbers and expressed confidence in the NFL’s trajectory moving forward.
Notably, both NFL games surpassed the previous viewership record of 23 million set during last season’s AFC wild-card game.
Significant interest also surrounded the halftime show featuring Beyoncé during the Ravens-Texans game, which peaked at over 27 million viewers.
These viewer figures account for streaming on Netflix, mobile viewing via NFL+, and select CBS station audiences in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Houston.
Complete global ratings and final U.S. data are anticipated to be released soon.
Even though NFL viewership on Christmas saw a slight dip compared to last season, the drop was not as steep as typically expected when shifting networks from traditional broadcasting to streaming platforms.
Last year’s Christmas games averaged around 28.68 million viewers, with one of the contests between the Raiders and Chiefs leading the way with 29.48 million viewers.
Predictions suggest that with additional comprehensive data, the audience for both games will exceed 30 million.
In the history of Netflix, the games rank as the second- and third-most-watched live events, only trailing a boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson that garnered an average of 60 million viewers globally.
Looking ahead, the NFL plans to host at least two games on Christmas next year, with expectations for a third game, as the holiday will fall on a Thursday—similar to the three NFL games conducted on Thanksgiving since 2006.
Netflix reported fewer streaming issues on Wednesday, with most complaints center around the delayed connection for viewers who joined the stream post-start.
Bela Bajaria, the chief content officer of Netflix, expressed gratitude for the collaboration with the NFL and acknowledged the talents involved, including the energetic performances by Beyoncé and Mariah Carey.
Social media buzz around Beyoncé’s halftime show peaked at number one globally on X, formerly known as Twitter, while the hashtag #NFLonNetflix attracted significant attention around the globe.
On the other side, the NBA celebrated a successful day, announcing that all five of its Christmas Day games garnered increased year-over-year viewership.
With a remarkable 84% increase compared to 2023, all of the NBA games were aired on ABC this year, while last year only two games received that platform.
The Lakers and Warriors game saw a peak viewership of approximately 8.32 million, establishing it as the most-watched NBA regular-season game in five years.
These ratings contributed to a 4% overall increase in NBA viewership across ESPN platforms this season, amid concerns about declining interest in the league.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recognized the slight initial drop in ratings this season but pointed out that traditional cable viewership had experienced a double-digit downturn, emphasizing a shift toward streaming services that is influencing new broadcasting agreements for the league.
As part of these upcoming television deals, the NBA plans to broaden the number of televised regular-season games from 15 to 75, with ESPN and ABC continuing to air Christmas Day matchups.