NBA Christmas 2017 TV ratings were up, for the most part

The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers drew lower ratings on Christmas Day than a year prior, but a couple other NBA games hit record highs, according to an ESPN press release on Tuesday. In the day’s marquee game, the Warriors beat the Cavaliers 99-92.

That game received a 5.5 percent market share, down from last season’s 5.9 percent. Of course, the 2016 game had much more intrigue: It was Kevin Durant’s first season as a Warrior, and Golden State was coming off their historic blown 3-1 lead against Cleveland. Stephen Curry was also healthy.

The league’s primetime game, the Houston Rockets vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder, was the highest-rated game in that slot since 2003. It drew a 4.1 percent market rating as the Thunder beat the Rockets 112-107.

The opening game, the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the New York Knicks, drew a 2.4 percent market share, matching last season as ESPN’s best rating in the early slot.

Finally, the third ABC/ESPN game was played between the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics, receiving a 3.7 percent market rating. That was up nine percent from last season’s game in the same slot.

Overall, the first four games were up 39 percent from last year — a 3.9 percent average share compared to last year’s 2.8.

(The late game, between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers, aired on TNT, who did not release ratings.)

Sure, the NBA may view Christmas Day games as a chance to target the NFL’s ratings, but it’s a slow process. The ratings for the premiere Warriors-Cavaliers game were always bound to decline, given the absence of last year’s factors that caused that game to break streaming records.

The higher ratings in other slots could be attributed to two things. First, after a wild summer of stars moving teams, the NBA’s regular season has a higher level of intrigue than years past. Teams like Houston, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, and Boston are still integrating new parts, after all. Of course, the second reason might just be that the NBA chose games better this Christmas — there was no Bulls vs. Spurs matchup, for example, which most would view as a snoozer.

In reality, it’s probably a bit of both. Regardless, the NBA’s ratings are definitely doing just fine.