NFL vs NBA Christmas Day Viewership: A New Rivalry Brewing
Written by Berson Eliancy
The holiday season is often carried by many entities. Some will say it’s the food, others will say it’s spending time with family and friends, but a vast majority will credit the fulfilling experience of the holiday season to simply enjoying both while sitting down on the couch and turning on an NFL or NBA game.
For many years, NBA basketball has been perfectly woven into many families’ Christmas day traditions. Millions of fans from all over the country are gifted with a marathon of star studded, action-packed, high-quality basketball often featuring some of the biggest names such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and more. It is not only one of the marquee calendar moments for the league, but also a great opportunity for brands to showcase partnerships with talent and announce signature sneakers that align with the Christmas theme.
This past Christmas however, the NFL scheduled a triple-header that shattered viewership numbers in comparison to the five game NBA slate. The numbers were quite telling to what fans were more interested in viewing this past year.
NFL
Packers vs Dolphins: 25.9M Viewers (FOX)
Broncos vs Rams: 22.6M Viewers (CBS)
Buccaneers vs Cardinals: 17.1M Viewers (NBC)
NBA
76ers vs Knicks: 4M Viewers (ABC/ESPN)
Lakers vs Mavericks: 4.3M Viewers (ABC/ESPN)
Bucks vs Celtics: 6M Viewers (ABC/ESPN)
Grizzlies vs Warriors: 4.7M Viewers (ABC/ESPN)
Suns vs Nuggets: 2.5M Viewers (ABC/ESPN)
According to these numbers, the NFL averaged 22.9M viewers on Christmas Day while the NBA averaged 4.27M viewers, despite broadcasting two more games. Though the NBA’s viewership numbers are significantly less than the NFL’s, it is important to note that this is still a win for the association, as numbers increased 5% from 2021.
Just one month prior to Thanksgiving, the NFL observed its most-viewed regular season game ever in a heated NFC East divisional matchup between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, which totaled approximately 42M viewers.
These statistics not only underline the tremendous fandom of professional football in the country, but is also leaves the league in promising position forward in regards to their annual holiday game schedules.
Will the NFL continue to observe more record-setting viewership numbers in 2023? How will the NBA follow up it’s Christmas Day slate next season in response to the significant difference in viewership? We shall wait and see.