NBA Christmas Day Viewership Lags Behind NFL

Vendetta Sports Media/NBA, NFL/December 28, 2023

NBA Viewership Ratings — (Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)

NBA Christmas Day Viewership Lags Behind NFL

In recent years, the NBA and NFL’s big games have been integrated into almost everyone’s Christmas day routines.

However, one sport gets by far better engagement than the other. The NBA’s Viewership is terrible compared to the NFL’s, This year on Christmas Day, the NFL racked up 85.4 million views across three games while the NBA only combined for 14.1 million across five games, according to Front Office Sports.

Christmas Day ratings:

🏀 Knicks-Bucks: 2.5M
🏀 Warriors-Nuggets, 4.1M
🏀 Lakers-Celtics, 5M
🏀 Heat-Sixers, 1.2M
🏀 Mavs-Suns, 1.3M

🏈 Raiders-Chiefs, 29.2M
🏈 Giants-Eagles, 29M
🏈 Ravens-49ers, 27.2M

(h/t @sportsrapport) pic.twitter.com/VYNeiZwGTP
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 28, 2023

Why is it like this?

I believe it is like this because the NFL games mean so much more than the NBA’s Christmas Day Games. The NBA is not even halfway through the season, so one win or one loss does not impact the team tremendously. In the NFL on Christmas, we are two weeks away from the playoffs, and each game matters. We were blessed with two competitive division rivalry games and a game to decide the best team in the league between the Baltimore Ravens and San Fransico 49ers.

When one league gives us games like this it is easy to pick what to watch. This explains why the NBA viewership is not keeping up with the NFL’s.

It is a bit unfair for the NBA to compete with the NFL’s ratings on Christmas, as the NFL is at the end of their regular season where teams are fighting and pushing for a playoff spot, but that is just the way it is.

The NBA’s Christmas games do not matter, sure they are good games, but they have zero impact on anything. There is nothing on the line for these NBA games and that explains why the NBA ratings are not the greatest on Christmas. The NBA needs to add value to these games so there is a reason to watch them. The NBA needs change.