The NBA saw the average overnight rating for its five Christmas Day games jump 21% compared to '16. The games averaged a 3.4 overnight, which included three games on ABC and one each on ESPN and TNT. Last year, there were two games on ABC and three on ESPN. The gains come despite a 7% drop for yesterday's marquee matchup in the 3:00pm ET window on ABC -- Cavaliers-Warriors. That game drew a 5.5 overnight, which is down from a 5.9 for the same game in the same window last year. At 12:00pm, 76ers-Knicks drew a 2.4 overnight, which was ESPN's best figure in that window since Christmas in '12. The extra ABC window yesterday was Thunder-Rockets in primetime, which at a 4.1 overnight was the best NBA Christmas primetime figure since '03. The late afternoon window on ABC -- Wizards-Celtics -- drew a 3.7 overnight, while TNT in the late night window yesterday drew a 1.1 for T'Wolves-Lakers. TNT was flat compared to Lakers-Clippers last year on ESPN in the late window, despite Lakers G Lonzo Ball not playing this year (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
ON HOLIDAY: In DC, Tim Bontemps noted nearly a decade ago, the NBA "increased its Christmas slate to five games spread throughout the day ... making a push toward Dec. 25 becoming its equivalent to the NFL’s Thanksgiving." As the NFL "battles sagging viewership amid a host of on- and off-field issues, the NBA’s surging global popularity and star-studded Christmas lineup could lead to a turning point in that mission." Catching the NFL in TV ratings someday soon is a "massive long shot, but the NBA has established itself as the clear No. 2 in the American sporting landscape." Its Christmas strategy is "at least helping to threaten to close the gap on the leader, the NFL, which last year drew twice as many fans to its highest-rated Christmas Day game than the NBA’s top-rated game." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that players now "have embraced the prominence the holiday stage offers." For the NBA, life has "never been better, and Christmas Day is a chance to capitalize on that momentum." Interest in the league has been "boosted by an offseason of frenzied player movement, leading to skyrocketing ratings and never-ending story lines." Ratings for the league’s three national TV platforms -- TNT, ESPN and NBA TV -- are at their "highest in four years." The NBA’s influence, meanwhile, has "spread far beyond its arenas." A generation of marketable stars like Cavaliers F LeBron James, Warriors G Stephen Curry and F Kevin Durant has "pushed the NBA’s cultural recognition into the mainstream, making forays into the worlds of music and fashion." More than any other pro league, the NBA also "embraced social media to draw new fans and allowed its players to speak on social and political issues" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/25).
