NBL hails Christmas fixture a huge success

With more than 300,000 people watching the Hungry Jack’s National Basketball League on Christmas, a new tradition has begun in Australia.

The game is being hailed a success with the Sydney Kings’ 101-80 victory over Melbourne United the most-viewed game on ESPN so far this season, and the third most-watched program on Foxtel on Christmas.

The contest delivered a viewership reach of more than 300,000 people across all platforms on ESPN, Kayo and Channel 10.

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“The initial numbers are incredibly positive and give us confidence Christmas games will become an NBL tradition,” NBL executive director and Owner Larry Kestelman said.

“The game was a huge success on and off the court and provides us with a strong platform to build on.

“Having an estimated reach of more than 300-thousand people is a fantastic result considering it was the first ever professional sporting event to be played on the day.”

A big crowd of passionate and loud fans attended Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney for the first professional sporting fixture in Australia’s history, while it was one of the highest digital traffic days across the NBL social media channels, website and app.

“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 and I am confident this event will become something our fans and all sports’ lovers look forward to each year,” Kestelman said.

Kestelman says the NBL is already considering more Christmas Day games next season.

“Given the very encouraging numbers we’ve received so far, we would be open to scheduling a double-header on Christmas next year,” he said.

“There are always plenty of learnings when you break new ground and trailblaze like we have with this game so for us, it’s about building this as a tradition now and growing the event each year.

“We will continue to speak with all our key stakeholders, including our clubs and broadcast partners, with a view to scheduling more blockbuster Christmas games as part of our fixturing moving forward.”

Next up for the Kings are the JackJumpers at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday, as part of the Hoops Capital double-header which will see the Flames take on the Capitals too.

Tickets for the hoops extravaganza can be purchased here.