NFL surpasses NBA in Christmas viewership as two games hit over 40M viewers

The NFL continues to assert itself as a powerhouse, demonstrated once again during its Christmas Day games, a cherished tradition for American football fans across the nation and worldwide. This year, the NFL nearly doubled the viewership of five NBA games combined.

On Christmas Day, the NFL showcased two marquee matchups that captivated audiences. The Kansas City Chiefs, led by Patrick Mahomes, faced the Denver Broncos, quarterbacked by Russell Wilson. Kansas City triumphed with a decisive 29-10 victory, drawing an impressive 24.1 million viewers.

In the second NFL game of the day, the Baltimore Ravens delivered a commanding 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium, attracting 24.3 million viewers. Combined, the two NFL games amassed a total of 48.4 million viewers.

In contrast, the NBA struggled to match the NFL’s numbers despite offering five Christmas Day games: Knicks vs. Spurs (4.9M viewers), Celtics vs. 76ers (5.1M viewers) Timberwolves vs. Mavericks (4.3M viewers), Lakers vs. Warriors (7.7M viewers) Nuggets vs. Suns (3.8M viewers) Altogether, the NBA’s five games garnered 25.8 million viewers.

LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers against the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena on

Ongoing Challenges for NBA Viewership

The NBA’s struggles with declining viewership have been a topic of discussion for over a decade. Critics attribute this trend to various factors, including the league’s reliance on three-point shooting and a perceived lack of defensive intensity.

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Addressing the issue, Charles Barkley recently remarked: “I think we need to seriously consider starting on Christmas because, listen, you’re wasting your time going up against the NFL and college football; they own the weekends now. If we start at Christmas, there’s no other sports that we have to compete with. College football would be over, pro football is winding down, we’d have the entire calendar—late December, January, February, March, April, May, June—to [ourselves].”