NBA Trying to Keep Christmas Tradition Alive Amid NFL’s Presence

The NFL’s decision to partner with Netflix is another step in its Christmas takeover. In an attempt to keep a stronghold on what has long been a basketball-exclusive holiday, the NBA and ESPN are sprinkling in some new tricks to old traditions.

All five NBA games will air on ABC—only the second time all games will be available over the air. The NBA first aired all five Christmas Day games on ABC in 2022, the same year the NFL aired its first Christmas Day tripleheader. 

The games will be simulcast on ESPN, but will also stream on Disney+ and ESPN+ as Disney continues to leverage its sports and entertainment arms to grow its streaming services. 

The NBA is also airing its first Mickey Mouse–themed NBA alt-cast during the Christmas opener between the Spurs and Knicks, which will air on ESPN2 and stream on ESPN+ and Disney+. The league has used NBA 2K and Marvel-themed alt-casts in the past to try to bring in younger audiences, and the NFL has done the same with SpongeBob– and Simpsons-themed alt-casts.

But the NBA’s Christmas strategy also involves targeting lapsed fans as it launched a revamped version of the famous “Jingle Hoops” commercial from 2013 with a new, animated version called “Jingle Hoops Regifted” earlier this month.

Here is the NBA’s five-game slate (all times ET):

• Noon: Spurs at Knicks
• 2:30 p.m.: Timberwolves at Mavericks
• 5 p.m.: 76ers at Celtics
• 8 p.m.: Lakers at Warriors
• 10:30 p.m.: Nuggets at Suns

Streaming to the Rescue?

The NBA isn’t going to outdraw the NFL in viewership—whether football is on linear TV or streaming. But the NFL’s growing presence during Christmas Day has hurt the NBA, which averaged just 2.85 million viewers on Christmas last year, the league’s lowest by far, while all three NFL games drew at least 27 million viewers.

Total NBA viewership is already down 18% this year across ESPN, TNT, and ABC, even after the Emirates NBA Cup final between the Bucks and Thunder drew 2.99 million viewers—the league’s second-most-watched game of the season, and a high number for two small-market teams. (Last year’s Lakers-Pacers final averaged 4.58 million viewers.)

The NBA has dealt with injuries to several top stars, which have negatively affected the viewership of nationally televised games. But perhaps the biggest reason for the league’s ratings dip has been the decline of cable, as total cable viewership is down 13% this year, according to Nielsen. Additional streaming options are coming during the NBA’s next media-rights deal that kicks in next season: Amazon’s Prime Video and NBCUniversal’s Peacock.