or


[12/26/18 - 09:22 AM]
Highest-Rated NBA Christmas Day of ESPN & ABC Era Based on Combined Overnight Ratings from Nielsen (Excluding Shortened Season in 2011)
ESPN spins the numbers for Tuesday, December 25.
[via press release from ESPN]

Highest-Rated NBA Christmas Day of ESPN & ABC Era Based on Combined Overnight Ratings from Nielsen (Excluding Shortened Season in 2011)

· Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers Broadcast Generates 6.5 Metered Market Rating and Matches Fourth Highest Rated Christmas Game Ever on ESPN and ABC

· ABC's NBA Christmas Tripleheader Up 17 Percent from Last Year

· Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers Thriller Up 27 Percent from 2017

· ESPN's Portland Trail Blazers vs. Utah Jazz Telecast Draws Highest-Rated Christmas Game in Late Window Since 2015

2018 is the highest-rated NBA Christmas Day of the ESPN and ABC era (since 2002), based on combined overnight ratings from Nielsen (excluding the shortened season that began on Christmas in 2011). ESPN and ABC's coverage of the five-game slate generated an 18.7 combined metered market rating, up from a 16.0 rating last year.

The highly anticipated matchup between the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers matched the fourth highest rated NBA Christmas Day game ever on ESPN and ABC. The Lakers 127-101 victory over the Warriors delivered a 6.5 metered market rating combined on ESPN and ABC. It is also the highest-rated NBA Christmas prime-time game ever on ESPN and ABC. It was up 97 percent from last year's comparable game.

Overall, ABC's tripleheader averaged a 4.9 metered market rating, up 17 percent from 2017. The 5:30 p.m. ET broadcast between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers generated a 4.7 metered market rating, up 27 percent from Celtics vs. Wizards last year. The 3 p.m. Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game delivered a 3.8 rating.

ESPN's 10:30 p.m. telecast of the Portland Trail Blazers vs. Utah Jazz game drew a 1.5 metered market rating, up 36 percent from last year's Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves telecast. It is the highest-rated Christmas game in the late window since 2015, across networks. The Milwaukee Bucks victory over the New York Knicks at noon generated a 2.2 rating.





  [december 2018]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[05/21/26 - 07:01 AM]
NBC Sports' 2026 SuperMotocross Coverage Delivers Viewership Gains and Milestones
The seven races featured on NBC and Peacock averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 468,000 viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 8% vs. 2025.
[05/20/26 - 03:05 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched Western Conference Finals Game 1 Ever for Monday's Spurs-Thunder Double Overtime Thriller
Coverage peaked with 12.0 million viewers from 11:30-11:43 p.m. ET for the second overtime and game's conclusion.
[05/20/26 - 03:04 PM]
ESPN Aired Its Most Viewed 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round of the Current Rights Deal
Collectively all 11 Second Round games, with nine airing on ESPN and two on ABC, delivered 2.2 million viewers, up 76% year-over-year.

[05/20/26 - 07:36 AM]
After Record-Setting 2025 Season, "Sunday Night Football" Finishes Fall-Spring TV Season as Primetime's No. 1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
The series averaged 23.5 million viewers in 2025, marking the show's best-ever viewership - up nearly 1 million viewers from the prior record for the series set a decade ago (22.6 million in 2015 season) and an increase of 9% over the '24 season (21.6 million).
[05/19/26 - 02:52 PM]
Subway Series Delivers Second Most-Watched FOX Saturday Baseball Telecast of the Season
2,500,000 viewers tuned-in to the two-game slate highlighted by the Mets' 6-3 victory over the Yankees in most of the country.
[05/19/26 - 02:01 PM]
Netflix Viewership Peaks with Nearly 17 Million Global Viewers for MVP MMA's Rousey vs. Carano, Averaging 12.4 Million Viewers Across the Triple Main Event
In the US, the triple-main card averaged 9.3 million viewers, peaking at 11.6 million viewers during Rousey vs. Carano.
[05/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 11 - "The Roast of Kevin Hart" Heats Up to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
True crime audiences also streamed the second season of "Worst Ex Ever," which rose to the No. 2 spot on the English TV list with 8.1 million views.
[05/19/26 - 07:07 AM]
TNT Sports Posts Its Most-Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Ever
Thursday's Game 5 of the Montreal/Buffalo series averaged 1.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched, Second Round, Game 5 on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.
[05/18/26 - 04:03 PM]
"The Rookie" Season 8 Finale Surges to Over 9 Million Total Viewers
Setting new records with its exceptional momentum this season, "The Rookie" finale earned an all-time streaming high for the series based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[05/15/26 - 02:03 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers on Sunday Morning, in Late-Night and on Friday Night
"20/20" saw week-to-week increases in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, hitting 4-week highs in both measures.
[05/14/26 - 10:07 AM]
"Rooster" Capped Off a Standout First Season, Becoming HBO's Most-Watched Comedy Debut in Over 15 Years
The series is averaging 6.5 million U.S. viewers per episode, with the finale reaching 2.2 million viewers in its first three days.
[05/14/26 - 10:01 AM]
Home Run! ESPN Scores Most-Consumed College Softball Regular Season on Record
The 2026 campaign featured four of ESPN's eight most-watched regular season games of all-time and delivered a record-high 10 games with more than 500,000 viewers.

[05/13/26 - 10:30 AM]
Viewership for 2026 NBA Draft Lottery Presentation on ABC Up 23 Percent Year Over Year
ESPN's presentation of the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, May 10, on ABC averaged 2.3 million viewers.
[05/13/26 - 07:56 AM]
ESPN Networks Delivered Second Most-Watched WNBA Regular-Season Game Ever with Dallas Wings vs Indiana Fever on May 9
ESPN today announced that the Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever matchup on May 9 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC averaged 2.5 million viewers, making it the second most-watched WNBA regular-season game across ESPN networks ever.
[05/12/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 4 - The Critters of "Swapped" Soar to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
The pursuit of justice is action-packed in "Man on Fire," which set the English TV list ablaze at No. 1 with 12.6 million views.