65m US viewers tune in for Netflix NFL Christmas Day games

MIAMI, Florida (AP):

LeBron James and the NBA are going to have make room for the NFL on Christmas.

That shouldn’t be a problem. Both leagues were winners on Wednesday.

Netflix set records as the most-streamed NFL games in US history while the NBA had its best holiday numbers in five years according to Nielsen.

The NFL and Nielsen said 65 million US viewers tuned in for at least one minute of one of the two NFL games.

The Baltimore Ravens’ 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million while Kansas City’s 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 24.1 according to early viewer figures released by Nielsen on Thursday.

The NBA’s five-game slate averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, according to the league and Nielsen.

“I love the NFL,” James jokingly said in his televised postgame interview Wednesday night. “But Christmas is our day.”

However, Wednesday’s ratings showed that there is room for both.

Even though the NBA had the sports calendar to itself on December 25 for many years, the NFL has made Christmas one of its tentpole events during the regular season, joining Kickoff Weekend and Thanksgiving.

Hans Schroeder, the executive vice president of NFL Media, took James’ comments in jest, while also being joyful about the first season of the league’s three-year partnership with Netflix.

“The numbers speak for themselves and LeBron can have his own view, and I’m sure more people will look at that because of this,” he said. “But, you know, we’re focused on the NFL and we’re thrilled with the results this year with the Christmas on Netflix and we’re excited to continue to build that over the next couple of years.”

Both NFL games surpassed the previous mark of 23 million for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs on Peacock.

Viewership for Ravens-Texans peaked with the Beyoncé Bowl. The nearly 13-minute halftime performance averaged over 27 million viewers.

The viewer figures include the audience on Netflix, mobile viewership on NFL+ and those who tuned in on CBS stations in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore and Houston.

The NFL’s Christmas numbers decreased from last season, but not at the rate that usually happens when programming goes from broadcast to streaming.

Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging 29.48 million on CBS.

Once global and Netflix’s first-party data is released, both Christmas games are expected to surpass 30 million.

The games were the second- and third-most popular live titles in Netflix history, surpassed only by the November 14 fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. That bout averaged a worldwide audience of 60 million and peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, including 38 million concurrent streams in the United States.

There will be at least two NFL games on Christmas next year, but with the holiday falling on a Thursday it is more likely to be three with two afternoon and one prime time. The NFL has had three Thanksgiving Day games since 2006.

One of the biggest wins for Netflix on Wednesday: fewer streaming complaints it received. It seems the only gripe from most was that the stream did not immediately go to live action if someone tuned in after the game started.

Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, said in statement about the Christmas broadcasts that the streaming service is thankful for the partnership with the NFL, the on-air talent, and “let’s please not forget the electrifying Beyoncé and the brilliant Mariah Carey.”

The NBA felt it had a banner day, announcing Thursday that all five Christmas games on its schedule — San Antonio at New York in Victor Wembanyama’s holiday debut, Minnesota at Dallas, Philadelphia at Boston, Denver at Phoenix and Lakers-Warriors — saw year-over-year viewership increases.

The NBA’s line-up saw an 84 per cent rise over 2023. One reason for the increase is that all five games were on ABC, compared to two last year.

The Lakers’ 115-113 victory over the Warriors — a game pitting Olympic teammates James and Stephen Curry — averaged 7.76 million viewers and peaked with about 8.32 million viewers toward the end of the contest, the league said.

Those numbers represent the most-watched NBA regular season game in five years.