NBA Christmas viewership hits 15-year high with 47M viewers. And social media numbers set records
December 31, 2025
The NBA announces its best Christmas Day viewership numbers in 15 years. More than 47 million people in the U.S. watched at least part of the five-game slate, marking a 45% increase over last year. The league revealed this on Wednesday. The Cleveland-New York game became the most-watched Christmas game ever starting at noon Eastern, with an average of 6.4 million viewers. The San Antonio-Oklahoma City game was the most-watched in the 2:30 p.m. slot since 2017. Additionally, the NBA was the “most-viewed brand across social media” on Christmas, with content generating 1.6 billion views.