According to preliminary Nielsen numbers, which don’t include international viewers, this Christmas Day broke NFL all-time streaming records. Once the international viewership numbers come

In the NBA, the Christmas lineup averaged 5.25 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, a big increase from the all-time low of 2.85 million in 2023. ABC simulcast all five games this year, whereas the broadcaster only carried two a year ago due in part to its Monday Night Football obligation.

There’s a very simple explanation for it: The game is being exclusively streamed by Netflix, which means you need to be a subscriber to streaming service (except if you live in the Baltimore and Houston markets, it’ll be aired locally there).

The NFL's late game on Christmas Day, Wednesday, Dec. 25, will be between the Ravens and the Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET, airing on Netflix. The Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans game will be preceded by a Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game at 1 p.m. ET on Netflix.

The NBA got viewers for Christmas, even while going up against NFL games. The NBA's five-game Christmas lineup was the league's most-watched in five years, with the games averaging about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC,

Netflix set records as the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history while the NBA had its best holiday numbers in five years according to Nielsen. The NFL and Nielsen said 65 million U.S. viewers tuned in for at least one minute of one of the two NFL games.

Netflix's play-by-play broadcaster for its first NFL game has a strong take about whether the NBA should continue to own Christmas Day.

For the first time this Christmas, the NBA and NFL went head to head. Usually, Christmas Day is the unofficial start of the NBA season, where they showcase five of the best star-studded matchups the game has to offer.