Christmas Day, which the NBA has traditionally dominated, may not be the same now that the NFL has crashed the party.
On Thursday, the NFL announced a record-breaking day for Netflix and the league; nearly 65 million U.S. viewers watched Ravens-Texans and Chiefs-Steelers, according to Nielsen.
According to Nielsen, the Baltimore Ravens versus Houston Texans (24.3 million average minute audience) and Kansas City Chiefs versus Pittsburgh Steelers (24.1 million average minute audience) are the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history. U.S. viewership for Ravens-Texans peaked during singer Beyoncé’s halftime performance, with over 27 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
This year marked the first of a three-season partnership with Netflix to broadcast NFL games on Christmas Day.
Christmas Day was also a good day for the NBA. The league delivered its most-watched Christmas Day in five years, averaging 5.25 million viewers per game in the U.S. across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+, and ESPN+, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals. Viewership was up 84% vs. last year.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ 115-113 victory over the Golden State Warriors – which featured a thrilling duel between LeBron James and Stephen Curry – led the way averaging 7.76 million viewers and peaking with 8.32 million viewers at 10:30 p.m. ET. It was the most-watched NBA regular season and Christmas Day game in five years.
Both leagues had a good day, and you know who really won the day? The viewers! They were treated to a great day of sports!
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