While LeBron James is one-half of a long-discussed debate about the greatest of all time, there’s no question that the NBA‘s Yuletide matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors delivered — ratings– and thrill-wise. Per the league, the game was the most-watched NBA Regular Season and Christmas Day game in five years, with viewership up 84% when compared with the year prior.
The Lakers-Warriors showdown, which saw James and Stephen Curry go head-to-head in a nail-biting game finishing with a narrow Los Angeles victory 115-113, averaged 7.76 million viewers per game in the U.S. across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+ (according to Nielsen Fast Nationals), up almost 500% from 2023. Audience viewership peaked around 10:30 p.m. ET with 8.32 million tuning in.
The Christmas Day opener, featuring the New York Knicks’ 117-114 win over the San Antonio Spurs, averaged 4.91 million viewers, making it the most-viewed such game in 13 years and up 98% from last year. All five of yesterday’s matchups yielded year-over-year viewership increases, averaging 5.25 million overall across Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics (5.16 million viewers, up 3%), Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks (4.38 million viewers, up 6%) and Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns (3.84 million viewers, up 161%). The lattermost showdown was the most-watched late window ever on Christmas Day.
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According to the association, the day generated more than 500 million video views across all NBA social media platforms — an all-time record. Distributed in 214 countries and territories, the five-game slate also garnered the most-viewed Christmas Day ever on NBA League Pass, the organization’s subscription-based cable channel.
Leading into Christmas Day, NBA viewership across ABC, ESPN and TNT increased every week of December, with an average week-over-week increase of 7%. Season to date, the NBA has generated a record 11 billion views across its social and digital channels. Across ESPN platforms, this season’s NBA viewership is up 4% versus last year.