Basketball heavy hitters are already giving thought to a potential Christmas Day double-header after Sunday’s historic Kings-United clash delivered the highest TV ratings for an NBL game this season.
Sydney’s 101-80 defeat of Melbourne in Australia’s first professional sporting fixture held on December 25 has been hailed as a success following feedback from players, fans and key stakeholders.
Jaylin Galloway of the Kings drives to the basket on Christmas Day.Credit:Getty
The Christmas Day crowd of 7012 was slightly below original hopes for a five-figure attendance and Kings co-owner Paul Smith conceded the event ran at a loss as “costs escalated dramatically”.
But the all-important ratings figures show the NBL’s groundbreaking venture proved popular from the lounge, with more than 300,000 people tuning in across ESPN, Kayo and Channel 10 platforms to make it the most-watched game to date of the 2022/23 season.
The Kings’ victory was the third-highest rating Foxtel program on Christmas Day, prompting NBL officials to tout a potential December 25 double-header to capitalise on viewer appetites.
“The combination of a big TV audience, great attendance, and digital engagement gives us great confidence there is genuine demand for live sport on Christmas,” NBL owner Larry Kestelman said.
“I am confident this event will become something our fans and all sports’ lovers look forward to each year. Given the very encouraging numbers we’ve received so far, we would be open to scheduling a double-header on Christmas next year.”
Smith told the Herald that the Kings are “very hungry to keep hosting” a Christmas Day game as he thanked Melbourne’s travelling players for giving up their own festivities to play.
That travel strain has a cross-town derby, potentially against Illawarra Hawks, flagged as an option in future years.
With the Perth Wildcats and New Zealand Breakers offering home-town options in time zones that stretch across six hours, there is potential to imitate the NBA’s avalanche of live basketball with five marquee games scheduled for Christmas Day in the US.
Young fans embrace the festive spirit during the NBL’s foray into Christmas Day scheduling.Credit:Getty
Smith believes trying to play two games on the east coast wouldn’t work based on the 6.30pm AEDT start time the Kings adopted, but says a west coast match could help expand the Christmas Day tradition in coming years.
“I’d say the logical way to do a double-header is with an east coast game and a west coast game,” Smith said.
“We moved the game forward from a 7:30pm tip-off which I thought was the right move, to 6.30pm, that worked with the broadcaster.
“But any earlier and it’s going to impact people’s traditional Christmas Day, and you’d be playing one game somewhere at 4pm and another at 6pm, there’s a lot of scheduling issues there.
“But logically I think a west coast time zone could work quite well for everyone.”
Cricket’s Big Bash League has toyed with a Christmas Day fixture for several years and Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said on Monday that reaction to the NBL’s venture would be monitored with interest.
Smith said rising costs and questions of whether the public would embrace the Kings venture had the club “entering this with both eyes open and holding our breath at the same time.
“But for mine the roll-up was great, the reaction’s been great and the atmosphere on the night was really special.
“It was new and it was risky but all in all I think we’ve achieved something and hopefully we can make it a permanent fixture.”
