LeBron James has to make room for the NFL.
wednesday doubleheader It set a record for the most streamed NFL games in US history on Netflix, with numbers almost five times that of the NBA.
The Baltimore Ravens' 31-2 win over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million, while Kansas City's 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 24.1 million, according to early audience figures released by Nielsen on Thursday.
Nielsen also said there were 65 million American viewers. caught For at least a minute of one of the two games.
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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 said in his televised postgame interview Wednesday night. “But Christmas is our day.”
While the NBA's Christmas lineup had its best viewership in five years, the NFL has made Christmas one of its tentpole events during the regular season, joining Kickoff Weekend and Thanksgiving.
NFL media executive vice president Hans Schroeder said, “The statistics speak for themselves and LeBron may have his own perspective, and I'm sure more people will take notice because of that.” “But, you know, our focus is on the NFL and we're thrilled with the results of Christmas on Netflix this year and we're excited to continue that over the next few years.”
Both NFL games surpassed the previous figure of 23 million for last season's AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs on Peacock.
Ravens-Texans viewership peaked with the Beyoncé Bowl. The 20-minute halftime performance averaged over 27 million viewers.
Viewership numbers include viewers on Netflix, mobile viewership on NFL+ and viewers on CBS stations in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore and Houston.
Global ratings and final U.S. numbers are expected to be available Tuesday.
The NFL's Christmas numbers were down from last season, but not at the rate that usually happens when something moves from broadcast to streaming.
Last year's three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs advanced to an average of 29.48 million on CBS.
Once global and Netflix first-party data is released, the numbers for both Christmas games should exceed 30 million.
The NBA's lineup saw an 84% increase compared to 2023. One reason for the increase is that all five games were on ABC compared to two last year.
The Los Angeles Lakers' 115–113 victory over the Golden State Warriors – a game that featured Olympic teammates LeBron James and Stephen Curry – averaged 7.76 million viewers and peaked with approximately 8.32 million viewers by the end of the contest, The league said.
These numbers represent the most watched NBA regular season game in five years.