Once synonymous with NBA basketball, Christmas Day no longer belongs solely to the league.
The NFL avoided Christmas Day games for three decades before returning to the holiday in 2020, cautiously reentering what had long been the NBA’s domain.
While critics complained about the quality and competitiveness of the NFL’s Christmas slate, America’s most popular sport still overwhelmed the ratings. In some cases, NFL games drew more than four times the viewership of the NBA’s matchups.
NBA Was Part of the Millennial Holiday
For many millennials, Christmas basketball will always be tied to memories of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James elevating the holiday. Still, the numbers make one thing clear: fans want football on their televisions, regardless of the date or circumstances.
GettyKobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (L) pauses on court beside Carmelo Anthony (R) of the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter of their NBA game at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on Christmas Day, December 25, 2012. The Lakers defeated the Knicks 100-94. AFP PHOTO / Robyn Beck (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
NBA legend and television personality Charles Barkley was not pleased when the NFL expanded into Christmas five years ago.
“The NFL got greedy and started adding Christmas games,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA on Christmas Day. “We used to have this day to ourselves, but Roger Goodell and them pigs at the NFL always want to hog every day of the week now. Christmas is an NBA day.”
Unfortunately for Barkley, the NFL are part-owners of ESPN, his new employer.
NBA journalist Bill Simmons was suspended by ESPN in 2014 for three weeks after calling Goodell a “liar.”
At the time, ESPN addressed the decision in a formal statement.
“Every employee must be accountable to ESPN and those engaged in our editorial operations must also operate within ESPN’s journalistic standards,” the statement read.
“We have worked hard to ensure that our recent NFL coverage has met that criteria. Bill Simmons did not meet those obligations in a recent podcast, and as a result we have suspended him for three weeks.”
The use of the words “pigs” and “greedy” could put Barkley in hot water with ESPN bosses.
27.5 Million Americans Watched Lions-Vikings
Despite that sentiment, two of the NFL’s three Christmas Day games set major viewership records.
The Detroit Lions –Minnesota Vikings late-afternoon matchup on Netflix became the most-streamed NFL game in U.S. history, while the Denver Broncos –Kansas City Chiefs night game set a record for Amazon Prime Video.
GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 25: Blake Cashman #51 and Eric Wilson #55 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrate with steak as they are interviewed by Seth Rollins following their 23-10 win against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 25, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The Vikings’ 23–10 win over the Lions averaged 27.5 million U.S. viewers, according to Nielsen, with the audience peaking at more than 30 million.
That figure surpassed last year’s Christmas game on Netflix between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans , which averaged 27.2 million viewers in the same time slot.
Netflix and Nielsen also reported that Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party averaged 29 million viewers. Overall, “NFL Christmas Gameday” generated more than 632 million social impressions globally, with Snoop Dogg’s halftime show accounting for over 100 million impressions.
GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 25: Snoop Dogg performs the halftime show during the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 25, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
What were the TV ratings for Christmas Day?
According to Nielsen, here are the Christmas Day viewership averages:
NFL (Netflix, Amazon):
- Cowboys–Commanders: 19.9M
- Lions–Vikings: 27.5M
- Broncos–Chiefs: 21.1M
NBA (ESPN, ABC):
- Cavaliers–Knicks: 6.4M
- Spurs–Thunder: 6.7M
- Mavericks–Warriors: 6.1M
- Rockets–Lakers: 5.4M
- Timberwolves–Nuggets: 3.6M
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