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[Saba Sports] The NBA enjoyed a significant boost in ratings for its Christmas Day games this season, but the impressive numbers may come with an asterisk.
On Wednesday, ESPN reported an 84% increase in viewership compared to 2023, with the Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors matchup becoming the league’s most-watched regular-season game in five years.
However, as Outkick’s Bobby Burack pointed out, a key broadcasting change likely played a major role in the surge.
This year, all five Christmas Day games aired on both ESPN and ABC, a shift from last season when only three games were simulcast, and the others were exclusive to ESPN.
Unlike ESPN, which requires a cable subscription or specific streaming access, ABC is a broadcast network available to a much wider audience. The broader accessibility likely contributed significantly to the spike.
Additionally, the NFL scaled back its Christmas Day slate from three games last year to two this season, leaving no evening game to compete with the Lakers-Warriors showdown. The lighter NFL schedule likely gave the NBA an extra ratings bump.
While basketball fans and the league can celebrate the viewership spike, the broader context highlights how strategic broadcast decisions and external factors, like reduced NFL competition, played pivotal roles.
Football may remain the reigning champ in U.S. sports viewership, but the NBA’s adjustments clearly paid off this holiday season.