The NFL is making its mark on Christmas alongside LeBron James and the NBA.
Both leagues had successful outings on Wednesday.
Nielsen reported that Netflix broke records for streaming NFL games while the NBA saw its best holiday numbers in five years.
The NFL and Nielsen revealed that 65 million US viewers watched at least one minute of one of the two NFL games.
One game averaged 24.3 million viewers, while the other averaged 24.1 million according to Nielsen’s early figures.
The NBA’s five-game lineup averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN, and its platforms.
Although LeBron James humorously claimed, “Christmas is our day,” the ratings showed that there is space for both leagues.
Hans Schroeder, from NFL Media, took James’ comments lightly and expressed excitement for the NFL’s partnership with Netflix.
Both NFL games exceeded last season’s viewership records.
Netflix’s viewership complaints decreased significantly, with most viewers only commenting on the delayed live action start.
Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, expressed gratitude for the NFL partnership and highlighted the success of the Christmas broadcasts.
The NBA had a successful day as well, with all five Christmas games on its schedule showing increased viewership over the previous year.
LeBron James’ game against Stephen Curry was the most-watched NBA regular season game in five years.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the decline in ratings and emphasized the shift towards streaming services for sports programming.
The NBA’s upcoming television deals will include more games broadcast on streaming services, adapting to the changing viewership landscape.
