Wednesday’s doubleheader Set the record for the most streamed NFL games in US history on Netflix, nearly five times more than 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, according to preliminary viewership figures released Thursday by Nielsen.
Nielsen also said there were 65 million American viewers. As I watched For at least one minute out of two games.
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The NBA’s five-game slate averages 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.
“The numbers speak for themselves and LeBron may have his own vision, and I’m sure more people will take a look at him because of that,” said Hans Schroeder, executive vice president of NFL media. “But, you know, our focus is on the NFL and we’re very excited about the results this year with Christmas on Netflix and we’re excited to continue to build on that over the next two 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.
The Ravens-Texans viewership peaked with the Beyoncé Bowl. The 20-minute halftime performance averaged more than 27 million viewers.
Viewership figures include audiences on Netflix, mobile viewership on NFL+ and those who tuned in to CBS stations in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore and Houston.
World rankings and final U.S. numbers are expected to be available Tuesday.
The NFL’s Christmas numbers are down from last season, but not at the rate that usually occurs when something moves from broadcast to streaming.
Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. An early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs averaged 29.48 million on CBS.
Once Global and Netflix’s first-party data is released, both Christmas games should exceed 30 million.
The NBA lineup saw an 84% increase from 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 featuring Olympic teammates LeBron James and Stephen Curry — averaged 7.76 million viewers and peaked with nearly 8.32 million viewers by the end of the contest, the league said. said
These numbers represent the most watched NBA regular season game in five years.