The NFL's Christmas Day games have significantly outperformed the NBA in terms of viewership, with the NFL enjoying its best Christmas Day viewership since 1989. The Raiders' upset of the Chiefs was a particular highlight, drawing 29.2 million viewers across CBS and Nickelodeon, with 28.3 million on CBS, 893,000 on Nick, and a peak of 37.2 million. The Cowboys vs. Dolphins game on Christmas Eve also set records, becoming Fox's best Sunday national window game since 1995 with 31.5 million viewers and the third-best NFL game audience this season. In contrast, the NBA's average Christmas viewership was 2.88 million, with the NFL's average at 28.5 million. The Ravens-49ers game on Christmas Day averaged 27.2 million viewers across ESPN and ABC, making it the second-largest Monday Night Football audience in 27 years, trailing only the Eagles-Chiefs game in Week 11. Amidst the viewership success, Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce expressed frustration over the team's recent struggles, including a loss to the Raiders on Christmas. Kelce's outburst during the game, where he threw his helmet, and his candid comments on his podcast, have drawn attention. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift's presence at the Chiefs game, along with her and Kelce's fathers watching together in a VIP suite, sparked media speculation about her impact on the team's performance. However, Chiefs coach Andy Reid defused the situation, attributing Kelce's outburst to competitive spirit. Kelce also admitted he's 'playing like dogs**t' and regretted his helmet-throwing meltdown, while Swift and Kelce holding hands after the game added to the media frenzy.
New story. Patrick Mahomes & the Chiefs are searching for answers on offense. Criticism for the unit, though, is rising. “It is so sloppy.” "They have sabotaged his season." "You need to fall in love with the mundane." https://t.co/InDRTA6Lsf
NBA ratings crater in second head-to-head Christmas Day against the NFL https://t.co/JfsWMP4YVg
NBA ratings fall further behind NFL on Christmas Day https://t.co/UHsfsIJMK6 https://t.co/ogFVpBDOBi
Christmas Day & night tv ratings further showed the NFL can put games on any time with any teams playing and millions watch … out rating anything else on television! #NFL
Want more evidence that the NFL won't surrender Christmas? The NBA ratings for 12/25/23 cratered in comparison to 12/25/22. https://t.co/E9Ry7wKVKT
Giants-Eagles racks up 29 million viewers in late-afternoon window on Christmas https://t.co/qhpbWqheFL
The @NFL routed the @NBA in Christmas Day ratings, getting 25x more viewers at times. Christmas falls on a a Wednesday in 2024. Could we see Wednesday NFL games next Christmas?? That's a lot of $$ to pass up. https://t.co/HFBiLJTXiZ
Why the NFL Killed NBA Christmas “Two decades of branding NBA Christmas is now down the drain, largely because of a quirky Nielsen reform.” https://t.co/kJ4HudkrI0
With 31 million, 29 million, and 29.2 million viewers over three Christmas games in 2023, there's no way the NFL will stick with its plan to skip Christmas in 2024. https://t.co/eniIEOkeHI https://t.co/ztBCJegFMk
NEW POST: Why the NFL Killed NBA Christmas https://t.co/kwDOmpE521
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: #Chiefs star TE Travis Kelce says “it’s a frustrating f—king experience right now” when talking about the team’s recent struggles, via @newheightshow “We handed that team (the #Raiders) a win on Christmas. We literally played Santa and gave them a present.”… https://t.co/KQfhGJDRMs
The #NFL will always be king. The #Eagles vs #Giants game on Christmas had 𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗘 the total viewership of all the NBA Christmas games… 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗕𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗗 https://t.co/QCY2vOOoK1
NBA Christmas viewership sacked by NFL: https://t.co/zohC8FFwQ9
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) https://t.co/VYNeiZwGTP
2023 NBA avg XMas viewership: 2.88 million 2023 NFL avg XMas viewership: 28.5 million Not sure how the NFL pulls off Wednesday XMas games next year, but they’ve got reason to try
One NFL game on Christmas Day drew 29 million viewers. The five NBA games on Christmas Day combined for only 14 million. https://t.co/anSFDYAeu9
If this holds, the NBA went from getting roughly 5X’d last Christmas by the NFL to getting 10X’d this Christmas https://t.co/Hv0YX9MDoZ
JUST IN: 2023 NBA Xmas ratings Knicks-Bucks ESPN - 2.5M Warriors-Nuggets ESPN/ABC - 4.1M Lakers-Celtics ESPN/ABC - 5.0M Heat-Sixers ESPN - 1.3M Mavs-Suns ESPN - 1.5M (Deleted original that had two that were .1M off)
JUST IN: 2023 NBA Xmas ratings Knicks-Bucks ESPN - 2.4M Warriors-Nuggets ESPN/ABC - 4.1M Lakers-Celtics ESPN/ABC - 5.0M Heat-Sixers ESPN - 1.2M Mavs-Suns ESPN - 1.5M
Weird how the NFL Christmas ratings are out but the NBA's are not ....
Jason Kelce had comical take on what was being said during his heated moment with Giants https://t.co/lkNnoYSOzf
Travis Kelce didn’t hold back when asked about throwing his helmet in sideline meltdown vs. Raiders https://t.co/TMGsnNeK3I
Fox’s Christmas Day Giants-Eagles broadcast set network high, saw huge year-over-year jump https://t.co/AfCpeBsBZy https://t.co/KdaRLJCxug
Ravens-49ers rivaled the Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl rematch for the most watched Monday Night Football broadcast in decades. https://t.co/9W3tF4LBJT
Christmas Day with the @NFLonFOX sleighs with 29,021,000 viewers 🛷 The #NFCEast showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants gifted double digit gains over last year's comparable holiday window. https://t.co/LYt9jkJPpM
Cowboys-Dolphins Christmas Eve on Fox had 31.5 million viewers, that’s more than every NBA game that has ever aired in the history of the league with one exception, NBA Finals game 6 1998 Bulls vs Jazz, which had 35.89 million viewers.
Cowboys-Dolphins on Christmas Eve averaged 31.5 million viewers — the most-watched NFL game of the season excluding Thanksgiving Day. It marks Fox’s best Sunday national window game since 1995. https://t.co/EKactwS2Sz
Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce dug into the team's struggles on the latest edition of "New Heights." https://t.co/ZP37qa9FE8
Travis Kelce addressed the Chiefs' recent struggles on his podcast, saying the team's slump is not due to an individual. "It's not just one guy. It's not just me playing like dog s—." Read more: https://t.co/zjpdyrEU5K https://t.co/UTI7HIuQDu
Travis Kelce RIPS the 'embarrassing' loss to the Raiders on Christmas. 😬 https://t.co/q0Q0swKq8F https://t.co/8iERcnLCCT
Former Chiefs star Dante Hall sounds upset that his kids had to see Patrick Mahomes yell at his offensive line on the sideline during Kansas City's loss to the Raiders on Christmas. Seriously. READ: https://t.co/JFZOSaAvst https://t.co/VLVN0IUdAH
Cowboys-Dolphins delivers largest Sunday NFL audience of season, tops (at least) 2 of 3 Christmas Day games: https://t.co/kxMA3AeRkK
Travis Kelce isn't in the honeymoon phase anymore https://t.co/0YizwLCGwr
The #Cowboys vs. #Dolphins Christmas Eve game drew 31.5M viewers on Fox 🏈 This marks the network's best Sunday national window game since 1995 and the third-best NFL game audience this season to date. Read more from @AustinKarp ⬇️
Chiefs legend Dante Hall rips Patrick Mahomes’ body language during skid: ‘Not a good look’ https://t.co/PxwWWgm3al https://t.co/x4JGuN2NNI
Travis Kelce says Chiefs' struggles are on everyone: "It's a frustrating (expletive) experience right now" https://t.co/VARbMlgrx5 https://t.co/YQBtiUyOcq
Patrick Mahomes: "I've got to play better, read the field better. ... I don't like losing. It's about how you respond. I think a lot of guys are frustrated that we're losing."
Cowboys-Dolphins generates an audience of 31.5 million for Fox at 4:25 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve. https://t.co/ggEMfUltzB
What went wrong for Patrick Mahomes vs. Raiders? A lot of things we're not used to seeing. @BrettTaveau breaks down the Chiefs' issues from Monday, when the simple things weren't easy at all. https://t.co/p0BJHG3kQF
🚨Patriots-Broncos Viewership🚨 @Patriots vs. @Broncos on Christmas Eve avg. 10.4 million viewers (excluding OTA) -- most-watched @nflnetwork game this season! Ranks among Top 10 @nflnetwork games on record (excluding OTA)
The NFL cashed in on Christmas Day 👀 #NFL #Viewership https://t.co/rJ8nKuZqiE
Jason Kelce had a comically awkward moment after bashing Travis Kelce’s Christmas gifts to his teammates https://t.co/GN1YYWeVhD
In case you hadn't already guessed it, Travis Kelce is not happy with what's going on with Chiefs. https://t.co/5XuBlm13df
Historically, the NBA has owned Christmas Day as its marquee attraction. Now the NFL is claiming it for its own whenever possible. ⏬ https://t.co/HLVXF0NVol
Travis Kelce talks viral helmet throw, Chiefs woes: 'I gotta lock the (expletive) in' https://t.co/EEuFWAoYJf
Fox has finally caught (and slightly passed) CBS for the Sunday national NFL window audience this season. Dolphins-Cowboys on Christmas Eve helped Fox to 31.5 million viewers. Fox's national window now sits at 24.93 million for the season. CBS looks to be at 24.85 million
The holiday celebrations continue as @NFLonFOX unwraps its best performance for AMERICA'S GAME OF THE WEEK since 1995. 🥳 With an average of 31,518,000 viewers on Sunday, AMERICA'S GAME OF THE WEEK currently ranks as the most-watched program in all of television. https://t.co/rJX5HrGJ3B
Travis and Jason Kelce tease the possibility of Taylor Swift appearing on their New Heights podcast https://t.co/w2MbBW2hIT https://t.co/1ZyW0mrKKl
Travis Kelce admits "I gotta keep my fu**ing cool" after throwing helmet in Chiefs’ loss to Raiders https://t.co/iGIoHEMmQA
Travis Kelce regrets helmet-throwing meltdown in Chiefs loss: ‘I gotta keep my f–king cool’ https://t.co/n1QUJirDpA https://t.co/GVQW81XhSm
Taylor Swift helps the NFL enjoy its best Christmas Day viewership since... 1989! Average of more than 29 MILLION fans tune in to see Travis Kelce and the Chiefs lose to Raiders https://t.co/Zn104N5nTD https://t.co/7SHXy18f2c
Problem with Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes is not Taylor Swift https://t.co/VEh9ruRA1x
Kansas City Chiefs head coach delivers blunt two-word response to Travis Kelce’s angry helmet throw Full story https://t.co/s0vcgy7oct
Travis Kelce says he's "playing like dogs**t" after Chiefs' "embarrassing" Christmas Day loss to Raiders https://t.co/wWuGjD6B2i
Would Travis Kelce dating Taylor Swift have any impact on the Kansas City Chiefs locker room? @dandakich and @merrilhoge discuss https://t.co/reyeOuSPTE
Ex-NFL star shuts down notion that Chiefs are struggling because of Taylor Swift: 'Weak and stupid media' https://t.co/OzM7KfA7Oy
Taylor Swift compared to Yoko Ono as Chiefs lose again amid Travis Kelce romance https://t.co/akUjKypt61 https://t.co/6xLBCgfyCz
29.2 million people watched a regular season NFL Christmas Day Raiders-Chiefs game. That’s more people than have watched every NBA game but one in the entire 21st century. Remember all those NBA media/fan boys who argued the NBA was challenging the NFL? NFL now owns Christmas too
With 29 million watching the 1:00 p.m. ET game betwen the Raiders and Chiefs, it's becoming even harder to imagine the NFL skipping Christmas when it lands on Tuesday or, next year, on Wednesday. https://t.co/Q3p3GrpyEy
NFL Ratings: The #Ravens-#49ers game on ESPN+ & ABC had 27.2 million viewers per @AdamSchefter It was the second most watched Monday night football game in 27 years, trailing only Week 11's #Eagles #Chiefs game. 🏈🎅 https://t.co/kYUvPJ1hiD https://t.co/uT50b0u8bQ
Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift have ‘lovebirds’ moment after NFL star’s helmet tantrum https://t.co/D4q1kr9e8k https://t.co/Vb5UYQOSWn
ESPN and ABC get 27.2 million viewers for Christmas night's Ravens-49ers game. https://t.co/JZm0Elnc9O
Taylor Swift’s parents spotted mingling with Travis Kelce’s dad Ed in private suite before Chiefs game https://t.co/p7UD3OoQ7m https://t.co/0F05dVq8YS
ABC’s Christmas Day Ravens-49ers broadcast draws historic ratings https://t.co/bdidSAwI2T https://t.co/DeJxwsVVFP
Raiders-Chiefs, with lots of Taylor Swift shots, drew NFL’s best Christmas rating since…1989 https://t.co/aDAfwhIyB7 https://t.co/CUaLdocwBf
The #NFL to the #NBA when it comes to Christmas: https://t.co/0bOze3vHNt https://t.co/wfDSzBB7MG
Ravens-49ers on Christmas Day averaged 27.2 million viewers across ESPN and ABC. It was the 2nd-largest Monday Night Football audience in 27 years — trailing only Eagles-Chiefs in Week 11. https://t.co/k6cqrEXQyk
The Ravens-49ers game Christmas night drew an average of 27.2 million viewers across ABC and other platforms. It is the second-most-watched Monday Night Football game since 1996, trailing only Eagles-Chiefs last month.
The Ravens-49ers - with an audience of 27,235,000 viewers - is the second most-watched Monday Night Football game in 27 years, trailing only the Eagles Chiefs in Week 11 this season. In a five-week span, Monday Night Football now has aired its two most-watched games in 27 years. https://t.co/sXXAhlnkdu
ESPN's Monday Night Football Continues to Re-Write its Record Books in 2023🏈 🎄Christmas Night Audience is MNF's Second Best Since 1996 More: https://t.co/pNoLqSbmyU https://t.co/wmeIqH3bi6
Solid number for Raiders' upset of Chiefs yesterday. CBS/Nickelodeon combined for 29.2 million viewers, marking the best NFL Christmas Day game since 1989 Raiders-Chiefs got 28.3 million on CBS; 893,000 on Nick Game peaked at a crazy 37.2 million https://t.co/eEXUJAtMAh
CBS Sports and Nickelodeon deliver the most-watched NFL Christmas Day game since 1989 with more than 29 million viewers for Raiders-Chiefs https://t.co/gJIPUFs5XV
Skip Bayless Calls Taylor Swift A "Distraction" At Chiefs Games https://t.co/kiT0Lqf3GK
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Hold Hands as They Leave His Christmas Day Game https://t.co/ipPL2rr8Sw
Is Taylor Swift the reason that the Kansas City Chiefs have gone 3-5 in their last 8 games? @dandakich and @shawnemerriman discuss https://t.co/7rr7QBMqk1
Skip Bayless, Clay Travis and Other Sports Knowers Are Actually Blaming Taylor Swift for Kansas City’s Losing Streak: ‘The Chiefs Yoko Ono’ https://t.co/uQLLuw99Pm
Patrick Mahomes may have just played his WORST game in a Chiefs uniform... with NFL legend Kurt Warner saying 'KC was bad everywhere' in Christmas Day loss to the Raiders https://t.co/EnDu640pIF https://t.co/KSq3XPzTkp
The Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce backlash is here in force: ‘Yoko Ono’ https://t.co/rabxvNmN5V https://t.co/LQ3c7f4ZBX
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's dads watched the Kansas City Chiefs game together in VIP suite... with pictures showing pair sitting side-by-side with popstar behind https://t.co/sSB5gh2vIw https://t.co/ER87Zf1Lz4
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s dads watched the Chiefs game together https://t.co/kEHTcJiXb7
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's dads watched the Kansas City Chiefs game together in VIP suite https://t.co/pBZ7DJcPjl https://t.co/8elTXN0dGI
Chiefs coach Andy Reid defuses Travis Kelce outburst, chalks it up to competitive spirit https://t.co/Vsi7Gbegm8
“Distraction”: Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Romance Blamed After Kansas City Chiefs Lose Again Tap the photo to see the latest concerns raised by various dads, Brads, and Chads: https://t.co/g7e7vUYvYO
Taylor Swift Fans Furious After Skip Bayless 'Pathetically' Calls Pop Star 'a Distraction' to the Chiefs: 'Absolutely Ridiculous' https://t.co/MYeYLXyLF6 Click the image for details: