For the first time, Netflix exclusively aired NFL games, with a Christmas Day doubleheader that featured the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans (plus a halftime performance by Beyoncé). For many years, the NBA dominated Christmas Day, but now the NFL is stealing the spotlight. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James weighed in on this.
LeBron James Reclaims Christmas for the NBA
The NBA is known for playing on Christmas Day and has had a Christmas tradition since the league’s inception in 1947.
With that being said, the NFL is always looking for ways to expand the league’s popularity, so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that it is encroaching on the NBA’s big day.
LeBron to the NFL: pic.twitter.com/6rvo5OncTt
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 26, 2024
After an extremely hard-fought Lakers win over the Golden State Warriors, James ended his post-game interview by simply saying, “I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day.”
The NFL has been slowly creeping towards this moment, as they went from playing on Christmas in years when it falls on a weekend to creating a schedule that ensures football will be on the holiday every single year. Now, the numbers show that Christmas might have joined Thanksgiving as a football-first holiday.
The NFL went big for this year’s holiday. The two games featured four playoff teams from 2023 in the Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens, and Texans. In addition, the Ravens-Texans game featured a rare regular-season halftime show, with Beyoncé putting on a concert that earned widespread attention and acclaim.
The league’s efforts paid off.
Netflix announced that nearly one-third of its global concurrents were watching the Chiefs-Steelers game. There were viewers from over 200 countries who watched the game.
Netflix eclipsed its peak concurrent viewers of any Christmas over the past four years.
NFL and NBA viewership numbers from the Christmas games:
NFL:
– Raiders-Chiefs: 29.17M
– Giants-Eagles: 29.02M
– Ravens-49ers: 27.23MNBA (via @sportsrapport)
– Bucks-Knicks: 2.5M
– Warriors-Nuggets: 4.1M
– Celtics-Lakers: 5.0M
– 76ers-Heat: 1.3M
– Mavericks-Suns: 1.5MThe NFL… pic.twitter.com/744DQ6hBEy
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 28, 2023
So, while LeBron may have claimed the day in the interview, the NFL clearly reigns supreme when it comes to support from the masses.
Both leagues have an immense following and very loyal followers, but when it comes to putting on a show and marketing it, the NFL is second to none and the fans are recognizing that.
I think they should add some Christmas Eve games. The sports calendar was empty last night and the NBA will still get crushed in viewership today despite 1) the NFL games requiring a subscription and 2) the NBA putting virtually all of its star players in action today.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) December 25, 2024
“I think [the NBA] should add some Christmas Eve games,” sports and business expert Joe Pompliano said. “The sports calendar was empty last night and the NBA will still get crushed in viewership today despite 1) the NFL games requiring a subscription and 2) the NBA putting virtually all of its star players in action today.”
No longer my friend. Go check the reality of Netflix NFL vs. the NBA on ESPN. One NFL game had a larger audience than all 6 NBA games on Christmas Day combined. https://t.co/CzMJOBiUlo
— Freehold (@Estreetband1968) December 26, 2024
It is easy to see that the NBA felt the heat from the NFL announcing these Christmas games, with matchups that even some fans found questionable but on paper make sense.
The league focused on their international market, showcasing Victor Wembanyama (France), Luka Doncic (Slovenia), and Nikola Jokic (Serbia) alongside last year’s champion (Boston Celtics) and the game’s two biggest current legends (LeBron James and Stephen Curry) squaring off.
Tomorrow will be the first Christmas in a while that I’ll be watching the NFL over the NBA.
Granted the Steelers play tomorrow, but if the NBA isn’t interested in having the #1 seed in the West play on Christmas, I’m not interested in boosting their ratings
— ThunderND 🎅🏼🌹 (@ThunderND) December 24, 2024
“Tomorrow will be the first Christmas in a while that I’ll be watching the NFL over the NBA. Granted the Steelers play tomorrow, but if the NBA isn’t interested in having the #1 seed in the West (OKC) play on Christmas, I’m not interested in boosting their ratings,” one fan stated.
It will be interesting to see what the exact viewership numbers look like when they are released over the next 24 to 48 hours.