Swish! Viewership for ESPN and ABC’s NBA Christmas Games Up Five Percent From 2021
- Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks Game Draws Highest Viewership in the Noon ET Window in 11 Years
- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Game Delivers Largest Average NBA Audience of the Day with 6,033,000 Viewers, Up 16 Percent Vs. Last Year
- Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets Broadcast is Most-Watched Christmas Late Game in Seven Years
- NBA Christmas on ESPN and ABC Up in Key Demos from 2021
Viewership for ESPN and ABC’s NBA Christmas games was up five percent from 2021, according to Nielsen. The five-game holiday slate averaged 4,271,000 viewers, compared to 4,082,000 viewers from last year. All five games aired on both ESPN and ABC.
The Philadelphia 76ers victory over the New York Knicks averaged 4,036,000 viewers, up 38 percent from the noon ET window last season (Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks). It is the most-watched NBA Christmas game in the noon window in 11 years, since the 2011. Christmas opened the 2011-12 NBA season. The Sixers vs. Knicks game also aired on ESPN2 via the NBA in Stephen A’s World alternate presentation.
The Boston Celtics victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a matchup of Eastern Conference favorites drew the largest average NBA audience of the day with 6,033,000 viewers. It peaked with 6,828,000 viewers from 7:30-7:45 p.m. Viewership was up 16 percent from last season’s 5 p.m. window when the Golden State Warriors squared off with the Phoenix Suns.
ESPN and ABC’s NBA Christmas coverage was bookended with multi-year viewership highs. The Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets game at 10:30 p.m. averaged 2,485,000 viewers and became the most-watched Christmas late game in seven years, since 2015.
The NBA on ESPN and ABC also generated three percent year over year viewership increases in key demos, including P18-49 and P25-54.
The 2:30 p.m. matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks averaged 4,333,000 viewers, while the 8 p.m. game between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies generated 4,700,000 viewers.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS’ TYRESE MAXEY RECEIVES NOVEMBER NBA CARES COMMUNITY ASSIST AWARD
-NBA to donate $10,000 to the Tyrese Maxey Foundation-
NEW YORK, December 23, 2022 – The NBA today announced Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey as the NBA Cares Community Assist Award winner for the month of November in recognition of his dedication to strengthening families and communities and supporting youth development. Each month of the regular season the award recognizes a player who best demonstrates the passion that the league and NBA players share for giving back to their communities.
Amidst NBA Cares Season of Giving, Maxey and the Tyrese Maxey Foundation donated 300 turkey meals to families in need in West Philadelphia during the Thanksgiving Holiday. In partnership with both community and corporate partners, the Foundation gathered volunteers to help pack the meals for distribution at the Tustin Recreations Center, ensuring each family received a turkey, a five-pound bag of potatoes and other traditional Thanksgiving meal items.
Earlier this year, Maxey supported the 76ers’ back-to-school efforts in taking part in a surprise pep rally for the students at Forest Hill Elementary School in Camden, NJ. During the rally, Maxey discussed with students the importance of respecting their teachers, regular attendance to classes, focus during the school day and goal setting. All 300 students at the event received a new backpack and school supplies while every educator at the school received 76ers swag to deck out their classrooms and help further inspire students. In addition to his work with local students, throughout the summer Maxey spent his time helping to provide youth ages 7-12 access to the game through his 1% Skills Camp. A priority for Maxey is accessibility, and each camp hosted in Philadelphia, Garland, TX and Lexington, KY were offered free of charge for all participants, serving more than 500 youth. The 1% Skills Camp teaches student-athletes how to get one percent better as an overall athlete and provides a one-of-a-kind experience inclusive of enhanced training, pre- and post-game workouts and valuable nutrition tips.
"I’m grateful to God, my community, and the NBA for this honor," said Maxey. "I feel really connected to families in Philly and Dallas because they work so hard day in and day out and I understand that hustle - to be in a position to give back, I'm truly blessed."
Maxey will be recognized during an on-court ceremony before the 76ers’ home contest against the LA Clippers on Friday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. ET. Head coach Doc Rivers will present him with the award. The NBA will donate $10,000 to the Tyrese Maxey Foundation.
The NBA Cares Community Assist Award honors the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson, who improved the community piece by piece. To learn more, please visit https://communityassist.nba.
NBA CrunchTime Launches '5 Days of CrunchTime' Next Week Exclusively on the New NBA App
NBA CrunchTime, the free weekly whip around show taking fans live to crucial moments of each NBA game while providing real-time updates and analysis exclusively on the new NBA App, brings '5 Days of CrunchTime' next week. The show, produced by NBA TV, will take advantage of the stretch between Christmas and New Year's to give an unprecedented look at all the fast-breaking action in real-time for fans in the U.S. and Canada.
Next week's schedule will include:
- Monday, 12/26, 8:30PM ET with Nabil Karim and Sam Mitchell
- Tuesday, 12/27, 8:30PM ET with Nabil Karim and Tim Doyle
- Wednesday, 12/28, 8:30PM ET with Nabil Karim and Tim Doyle
- Thursday, 12/29, 8:30PM ET with Jared Greenberg and Tim Doyle
- Friday, 12/30, 9:00PM ET with Jared Greenberg
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