On December 31, 2025, the NBA announced that it had registered the best Christmas listening figures of the last 15 years. More than 47 million people in the United States watched at least part of the five scheduled games on ABC and ESPN, marking a 45% increase from the previous year.
Average spectators and most followed matches
Average attendance for Christmas matches was 5.5 million, an increase of 4% on last year. The game between Cleveland and New York achieved the record of being the most watched ever on Christmas Day, with an average of 6.4 million viewers. Additionally, the San Antonio-Oklahoma City game held the title of most-watched in the 2:30 PM slot since 2017, while the Dallas-Golden State game was the most-watched in the 5:00 PM slot since 2019.
Social media success
In addition to the televised results, the NBA also claimed to be the “most viewed brand on social media” during Christmas, with its content generating 1.6 billion views. This represents a 23% increase compared to Christmas 2024.
