• Loading stock data...
Monday, June 2, 2025

NFL Dominates Christmas Viewership, Far Outpacing NBA

  • The NFL’s three games on Christmas Day averaged 22.9M viewers as NBA’s five-game slate averaged 4.27M.
  • Fox’s Eagles-Cowboys game was most-watched Christmas Eve game in at least two decades.
Dallas Cowboys receivers celebrate while heading into tunnel
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Eagles-Cowboys NFC East showdown lured in the most viewers for a Christmas Eve game in at least two decades, and Christmas Day wasn’t too shabby for the NFL, either. 

For the last 75 years, Christmas Day has been an NBA tradition. But the NFL scheduled a triple-header on the holiday and dominated the ratings on Sunday.

In total, the three NFL Christmas Day broadcasts averaged 22.9 million viewers, an increase of 14.5% from last year’s doubleheader. The NBA’s five-game Christmas Day broadcasts on ABC and ESPN averaged 4.27 million viewers, a 5% bump from last year. 

Fox’s Christmas Day broadcast of the Packers’ victory over the Dolphins averaged 25.9 million viewers, which makes it the second-most watched Dec. 25th game since at least 2000, according to Sports Media Watch. 

The NFL had two other games on Christmas Day:  

  • Broncos-Rams on CBS and Nickelodeon averaged 22.6 million viewers combined.
  • Buccaneers-Cardinals on NBC averaged 17.1 million viewers.

Holiday Feast

The NFL averaged 44.1 million viewers on Thanksgiving Day, which grew 31% from the initial numbers released as out-of-home viewing were revised after a Nielsen-NFL study. Nielsen began estimating out-of-home viewing in 2020. 

An estimated 27.8 million viewers watched the Cowboy’s win over the Giants on Fox, a 15% improvement over the same Christmas Eve window in 2021. NFL Network’s Raiders-Steelers primetime broadcast on Saturday averaged 10.94 million viewers.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Dec 23, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; General view of the Vince Lombardi statue outside of Lambeau Field prior to the game between the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers.

Publicly Owned Packers Make a Rare Leadership Change

Ed Policy will lead the NFL’s only publicly owned franchise.

History Shows Pacers vs. Thunder May Draw Record-Low Ratings

Indiana and Oklahoma City are two of the NBA’s smallest U.S. television markets.

Bears Suburban Stadium Deal Inching Forward Despite Cost Questions

State legislators discussed a Bears-friendly bill, but ran out of time.

As TNT NBA Era Ends, Charles Barkley Calls ESPN Move an ‘Honor’

TNT’s final NBA game was Pacers–Knicks on Saturday night.

Featured Today

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.
May 30, 2025

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.
May 25, 2025

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Mar 23, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys (USA)(not pictured) on day six of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
May 24, 2025

Alex Eala Is Defying Her Country’s Odds to Make French Open History

The Philippines native has overcome a unique set of financial odds.
May 30, 2025

Panthers-Oilers Rematch Could Be Big in Canada. Will U.S. Ratings Dip?

Likely viewership declines in the U.S. are countered by robust Canadian audiences.
May 30, 2025

French Open Scheduling Sparks Backlash Over Women’s Time Slots

Coco Gauff has also said the French Open schedule could be improved.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
May 28, 2025

NBA East Finals Delivers Strong TV Ratings, but West Is Struggling

The Pacers and Thunder are both up 3–1 in their conference finals series.
Around the Horn
May 23, 2025

Behind the Scenes of Around the Horn’s Final Days

FOS followed Tony Reali at the penultimate taping of the ESPN icon.
Around the Horn - October 26, 2020
May 23, 2025

‘Quirky, Nutty, Bombastic’: 10 ‘Around the Horn’ Faces on Their Top Moments

“A quirky, nutty, bombastic, mostly wrong, sometimes right, crazy sports family.”
May 22, 2025

NBC Eyes MLB Rights, Looks to Own Sunday Nights Year-Round

The league continues to shop media rights being forfeited by ESPN.