Cavaliers’ Thrilling Victory over the Warriors Generates a 5.9 Overnight Rating, Peaked with a 6.8 at 5 p.m.

Most-Streamed NBA Christmas Game Ever with 14.8 Million Total Minutes

The Christmas Day NBA Finals rematch on ABC, in which the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors 109-108 after a thrilling fourth quarter comeback, delivered a strong 5.9 overnight rating, matching the highest-rated Christmas NBA game in 12 years on ABC in the early window (2:30 p.m. ET). The New York Knicks-Los Angeles Lakers matchup in 2012 also generated a 5.9 overnight rating.

According to Nielsen, the broadcast peaked with a 6.8 at 5 p.m. The game drew its four best quarter hours between 4:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. Additionally, the broadcast was up 44 percent compared to the same window last year when the Chicago Bulls vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game drew a 4.1.

Streaming record

The Cavaliers-Warriors showdown was the most-streamed NBA Christmas game ever. It generated 14.8 million total minutes, 359,000 unique viewers and an average minute audience of 87,000.

Top local TV markets

Market Rating Cleveland 18.4 San Francisco 15.1 Memphis 9.6 Las Vegas 9.4 Columbus 9.0

Celtics-Knicks Up on ESPN

In addition, the Boston Celtics’ victory over the New York Knicks in the 12 p.m. (noon) window on ESPN delivered a 2.4 overnight rating, up four percent from last year. It’s the highest-rated ESPN noon window on Christmas since 2012.

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