Beyonce achieves a one sided victory against LeBron James and Stephen Curry during Christmas Day, here's how

This Christmas, the NFL, therefore, cornered a spot in the holidays while overpowering the NBA and going on record, this was with viewership recorded for two regular season games in which it registered a colossal 65 million compared to the 5.25 million from the NBA. The NBA cannot have this kind of leadership sitting with the NFL.

For the first time in history, Netflix broadcast two NFL regular-season games on Christmas Day. The matches-the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens versus the Houston Texans-were the first co-production between the NFL and Netflix for live sports programming. The results were astonishing: it broke all records streaming and attained viewership ratings that no one expected. The total Nielsen ratings for the NFL's games last Christmas week were 65 million viewers, Nielsen reports, compared to 5.25 million for the NBA five-game slate.

Numbers to Tell the Story: NFL vs. NBA

Christmas Day numbers were extraordinary for the NFL with both games averaging above 24 million viewers apiece. Preliminary forecasts look for a final total exceeding 30 million for games, shattering regular season viewer records. Meanwhile, the NBA Christmas Day games didn't have much steam despite a robust lineup of marquee games.

The game between the Lakers and the Warriors that attracted 7.76 million viewers remained the most-watched game for the NBA but wasn't enough to beat the NFL. LeBron James, speaking after his Lakers' win, said it all: "I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day." The numbers did not agree with him.

Why the NFL Won Christmas

Here are several reasons why the NFL took Christmas Day:

- The Netflix Advantage: The fact that Netflix got exclusive streaming rights brought fresh excitement and access to viewers, and therefore, more ease to the fans in watching.

- Beyonce Move - Beyonce performed during the NFL halftime show and this was a major talking point among the fans.

The NBA had a rough Christmas Day, but there was some good news for the league.

This time, there was an 84% viewership increase compared to last year 2023 when only two games were televised on ABC. This time, the league recorded over 500 million video views on social media. This is the highest for any NBA event. These gains notwithstanding, however, the NBA has its work cut out for itself in recapturing the Christmas Day turf, with the NFL increasingly savvy to new broadcast models and schedules. While the NFL gains ground, the NBA has to take a step back and redefine its approach in order to regain Christmas. Christmas is now football day.