The NFL's Christmas Day games have achieved significant viewership, with the Cowboys vs. Dolphins game on Fox leading the pack with 31.5 million viewers, marking the network's best Sunday national window game since 1995 and the most-watched NFL game of the season excluding Thanksgiving Day. The Raiders' upset of the Chiefs on CBS and Nickelodeon combined for 29.2 million viewers, peaking at 37.2 million, making it the best NFL Christmas Day game since 1989. The Giants vs. Eagles and Ravens vs. 49ers games also garnered high viewership, with 29 million and 27.2 million viewers respectively, with the latter being the second most-watched MNF game in 27 years. In contrast, NBA Christmas games saw lower viewership, with the Lakers-Celtics game on ESPN/ABC drawing the highest at 5.0 million viewers, and an average viewership of 2.88 million. The NFL's dominance in viewership, with an average of 28.7 million viewers across all games, up 29% from last year, suggests a strong incentive to continue scheduling Christmas games, even as the holiday falls on a Wednesday next year.
NFL hypes 28.7 million viewers on average for trio of Christmas Day games https://t.co/bEENUWynL0
28.7 million viewers, on average, watched the three Christmas games. It's a 29-percent increase from 2022, and it's becoming even harder to imagine the league accepting a 100-percent drop for 2024, when Christmas lands on a Wednesday. https://t.co/YAFgHCf8ZQ
The NFL delivered dominant ratings on Christmas Day. The league looks to avoid midweek games... but with Christmas 2024 on a Wednesday, will exceptions be made in the future? @AEricFisher explores the possibility ⬇️
The NFL delivered dominant ratings on Christmas Day. The league looks to avoid midweek games... but will exceptions be made in the future? @AEricFisher explores the possibility ⬇️
Christmas Day sports ratings (much of this has been covered already, but the full day's chart is in the below post): -- NFL has most-watched Christmas games since 1989 -- NBA has least-watched Christmas slate on record https://t.co/naJSuLJzl6
Here’s more data on why the NBA has lost half of America. NFL and NBA viewership numbers from Christmas Day games just a few days ago : (via @mysportsupdate ) NFL: - Raiders-Chiefs: 29.17M - Giants-Eagles: 29.02M - Ravens-49ers: 27.23M NBA (viewership via @sportsrapport) -…
The NFL says its Christmas Day average viewership (TV+Digital) across all three NFL games was 28.7 million, up 29% versus Christmas Day last year (22.2 million). All hail your sports viewership Lannisters!
Sunday (12/24) sports ratings: -- NFL dominates an otherwise light day of Christmas Eve sports -- Plus: move from ESPN2 to ESPN boosts final of Diamond Head Classic https://t.co/nGKqjEFhzC
NFL posted big TV numbers on Christmas. Now the NFL needs to figure how to play on Christmas Wednesday next year. Hint - they never leave money on table.
The main reason the NFL took over NBA Christmas is because Nielsen changed its system in 2020. I’m spoiling my article on it today, but I just think it’s funny how boring reforms have large business and cultural consequences
Once the NFL expanded to 17 game seasons, taking over Christmas was inevitable. The end.
NBA ratings crater in second head-to-head Christmas Day against the NFL https://t.co/JfsWMP4YVg
NFL ratings page updated with Week 16 numbers. Four games with at least 27 million viewers, higher even than Week 12 (Thanksgiving week): https://t.co/4LKQSWrNbs
NBA ratings fall further behind NFL on Christmas Day https://t.co/UHsfsIJMK6 https://t.co/ogFVpBDOBi
Odd business story: The reason the NFL so aggressively stole the NBA’s holiday has its roots in a 2020 Nielsen reform https://t.co/wTpl8SwhcK
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
I’ve personally been paying more attention to the NBA than the NFL lately, but definitely noticed on Christmas Day that all 3 families I dropped in on had NFL on, no NBA in sight. NFL truly has a chokehold on the culture. https://t.co/cNXM2aR7lX
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
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 ....
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
Cowboys-Dolphins delivers largest Sunday NFL audience of season, tops (at least) 2 of 3 Christmas Day games: https://t.co/kxMA3AeRkK
What we learned about Kyle Shanahan in the #49ers loss to the Ravens https://t.co/gOKBunteB7
Fox soars to new non-Thanksgiving season high in Week 16 for Cowboys-Dolphins https://t.co/5fdRgEs1ML https://t.co/zaI4e6iufs
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 ⬇️
Cowboys-Dolphins generates an audience of 31.5 million for Fox at 4:25 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve. https://t.co/ggEMfUltzB
🚨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
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
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
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
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
The Ravens let their pads do the talking vs. the 49ers on Christmas night https://t.co/OQiGl7HJuv
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
We are absolutely getting NFL games on Christmas every year https://t.co/JLs3AhmBgR
ESPN and ABC get 27.2 million viewers for Christmas night's Ravens-49ers game. https://t.co/JZm0Elnc9O
ABC’s Christmas Day Ravens-49ers broadcast draws historic ratings https://t.co/bdidSAwI2T https://t.co/DeJxwsVVFP
Raiders-Chiefs was the most watched NFL game on CBS since 1989 because love is real https://t.co/LmurWKJzxr https://t.co/zFqvc3UOoV
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
The Cohn Zohn: What We Learned About the 49ers vs. the Ravens https://t.co/oFjltCkx56
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