r/nba • u/nba NBA • 2d ago

The NBA delivered its most-watched Christmas Day in five years, with viewership up 84% vs. last year across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+.

The NBA on Christmas Day averaged 5.25 million viewers per game in the U.S. The matchup between the Lakers and Warriors – the most-watched NBA regular season and Christmas Day game in five years – averaged 7.76 million viewers and peaked with 8.32 million viewers.

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u/hollow-ataraxia 2d ago

Making the games easier to watch and platforming marquee stars is the key.

The other part that the NBA needs to do is to make people more aware of the new generation of stars - fans deserve to know about Paolo Banchero, Alperen Sengun, etc. Hell, the Cavs are on track for an unreal winning season and I barely see anything in the media or through official channels about Mitchell, Mobley or Garland.

When people know that there are exciting young star players in Cleveland, Orlando, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Atlanta, Charlotte, etc., you can attract more viewership to the game as the marquee stars fade. It won't be the same as Bron/Steph/KD, but it doesn't have to be.

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u/johnny____utah Pacers 2d ago

They also need to promote emerging or established rivalries instead of solely relying on stars.

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u/A-Centrifugal-Force 2d ago

Every single Wemby vs. OKC game needs to be nationally televised. That’s the best emerging rivalry in the league and they need to put it everywhere

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u/StaffSgtDignam Wizards 1d ago

 Every single Wemby vs. OKC game needs to be nationally televised.

Wemby’s .500 team stinks tho