Christmas Day Sports: NFL and NBA Rivalry Heats Up

Christmas traditionally sees a break in sport around the world but the United States continues its sporting calendar with festive games, particularly in the NFL and NBA. American families have long enjoyed watching sports on Thanksgiving and now Christmas Day has become a staple for basketball and, more recently, football. The NBA which began playing on Christmas Day in 1947 has become synonymous with the holiday with games often drawing millions of viewers.

The NBA’s most-watched regular season day has been its festive games especially since 2011 when viewership averaged 6.3 million. However, in recent years, the NFL has expanded its presence. Initially experimenting with games in 1971, the NFL made them a regular fixture by 1989, drawing 33 million viewers. Since 2020, the NFL has scheduled games every year even midweek.

In fact, the NFL’s viewership has surpassed the NBA’s in recent years. While the NBA’s viewership on this day dropped from 4.5 million to 2.9 million over the past four years, the NFL’s has surged from 20.9 million to 28.7 million. In 2024, the NFL partnered with Netflix to stream these games globally, marking the first truly international broadcast of NFL games.

Moreover, this year’s NFL games will feature performances by Beyoncé at halftime and Mariah Carey singing her holiday hits. The league has also explored alternative broadcasts to appeal to younger viewers with Netflix supporting this global cultural event. Netflix’s expanding sports presence reflects its strategy to tap into massive global fanbases, hoping this new tradition will continue to grow.