The decision to simulcast all five NBA Christmas Day games on ABC paid off in the ratings.
Despite facing the first ever Christmas NFL tripleheader, the NBA’s five-game Christmas Day slate averaged 4.27 million viewers across ABC and ESPN, per Nielsen fast-nationals — up 5% from last year (4.08M), if still down 4% from two years ago when the Christmas Day slate took place in the opening week of the season (4.47M).
Click here to read the story at sportsmediawatch.com.
Discussion Questions:
- What are ratings?
- How are ratings measured?
- Who is Nielsen?
- Why are ratings important to sports leagues like the NFL and NBA?
- Why are they essential to broadcasters like ABC and ESPN?
- Why are they important to advertisers?
- What is simulcast?
- Why do you think the decision was made to simulcast all five NBA Christmas Day games on ABC?
- How did that decision impact ratings?
- Given the fact that NBA games were competing with NFL games for viewers, are you surprised by NBA viewership figures on Christmas Day? Why or why not?