There were lots of debate on the NFL’s move into the Christmas Day lineup and how it would hurt the NBA or not and on and on. Would the NFL’s two latest partners, Netflix and Amazon, be hurt by the failings of what were thought to be elite matchups suddenly turned into also-ran’s…would the NBA going for quantity over potential quality be too much for fans…would they get a boost by not being on the cash rich streaming services and be better off on the easy to find ABC and ESPN etc. etc.
Well, the reality is sports on a major holiday like Christmas in North America is a backdrop, not the front porch. Rightfully so, we are spending time doing other things, and probably have games on as background noise or ice breakers like we used to do with “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “The Yule Log” (which conveniently went off at noon in NY in time for the Knicks tipoff).
Maybe there are fan bases that made each game despite the sport must watch while we were opening presents or travelling about, and those aggregate numbers and fan bases are a plus, but for the most part did people who observed Christmas actually sit there and watch hour after hour of football and hoops? I hope not. For a highlights driven league as the NBA now is, where moments happen in bursts not at the end of the game (except for the Knicks win yesterday), those who want can catch up on what they missed with a swipe left or right on whatever device they wanted, they didn’t need to watch every minute of every game, and the same held true for the NFL games, which got a little bit of a pop culture boost for the Swifties during the Chiefs game on Amazon.
What the flood of live sports did was provide a background for gaps in time, as well as again providing value for those all important brands looking to engage on a quiet day and for those media partners who are continuing to test and grow with their deep pockets and different audiences for engagement now and well into the future.
Was it excessive? That’s for those who pay the bills and spend the money to decide (as someone whose son did not get home from work at NBA Entertainment where he is an editor, until 430 AM, I’d say we have too much, but that’s a personal choice…we watched White Christmas on…yes…Amazon…last night). What we learned is that live events still give us a congregation point, conversation pieces and value add if we choose it almost every day of the year, especially for those who don’t want to re-watch holiday favorites or watch a log burn. Whether that’s a positive experience for society, hard to say for sure. Traditions come and go, but it’s hard to see how either league really lost anything by playing on the holiday.
Value add, games watched and the business keeps going.
Adjusting The Reference Frame At This Time Of Year Is Good For All…