National Basketball Association on television
Single games -- NBA on Christmas Day
Table:
Average rating/viewership per game for NBA on Christmas Day
(2001–present)

Year

Network

Games

Rating

Viewership

2017

ABC, ESPN, TNT

5

2.6

5.10M

2016

ABC, ESPN

5

2.3

4.56M

2015

ABC, ESPN

5

3.0

5.55M

2014

ABC, ESPN, TNT

5

2.8

5.22M

2013

ABC, ESPN

5

2.5

4.46M

2012

ABC, ESPN

5

3.1

5.50M

2011 (lockout shortened, opening day)

ABC, ESPN, TNT

5

3.5

6.31M

2010

ABC, ESPN

5

3.2

6.00M

2009

ABC, ESPN

5

2.4

4.17M

2008

ABC, ESPN, TNT

5

2.5

4.43M

2007

ABC, ESPN

3

2.6

4.29M

2006

ABC

1

3.5

5.47M

2005

ABC

2

4.4

7.12M

2004

ABC, ESPN

2

5.2

8.92M

2003

ABC, ESPN

3

3.0

4.96M

2002

ABC, ESPN

3

2.8

4.52M

2001

NBC

2

3.2

4.99M

Drawing on the following table as well as the supporting text provided at the end.

Respond to the question below: What was the viewership of the year that was the 70th season of the National Basketball Association ? Return your answer as JSON: {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Avoid adding external knowledge.

The 2017-18 NBA season was the 72nd season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The regular season began on October 17 , 2017 , earlier than previous seasons to reduce the number of back-to-back games teams were scheduled to play , with the 2017 Eastern Conference champion ( and Finals runner-up ) Cleveland Cavaliers hosting a game against the Boston Celtics at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland , Ohio . The 2018 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 18 , 2018 , at the Staples Center in Los Angeles , California . LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player . The regular season ended on April 11 , 2018 . The playoffs began on April 14 , 2018 and ended on June 8 with the Golden State Warriors defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals .
The NBA on ABC is a presentation of National Basketball Association ( NBA ) games produced by ESPN , and televised on the American Broadcasting Company ( ABC ) . The NBA on ABC name is rarely used , using NBA on ESPN branding and graphics to be integrated with its cable sister network . ABC originally broadcast NBA games from 1965 to 1973 . In 2002 , NBA games returned to the network as part of a contract signed with the league , along with ESPN . ABC televises games throughout the regular season , typically starting with a doubleheader on Christmas Day , followed by select games on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons as part of its NBA Saturday Primetime and NBA Sunday Showcase series . ABC then airs up to nine games during the first five weeks of the NBA playoffs , and is the exclusive broadcaster of the NBA Finals .
The NBA on ESPN refers to the presentation of National Basketball Association ( NBA ) games on the ESPN family of networks . The ESPN cable network first televised NBA games from 1983 to 1984 , and has been airing games currently since the 2002-03 NBA season . ESPN2 began airing a limited schedule of NBA games in 2002 . ESPN on ABC began televising NBA games in 2006 ( ABC Sports aired NBA games under the title of the NBA on ABC from 2002 to 2006 ) . On October 6 , 2014 , ESPN and the NBA renewed their agreement through 2025 .
NBA on TNT is a branding used for broadcasts of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) games , produced by Turner Sports , the sports division of the WarnerMedia News & Sports subsidiary of WarnerMedia and televised on TNT since 1989 . TNT 's NBA coverage includes the Inside the NBA studio show , weekly doubleheaders throughout the regular season on Thursdays , as well as Tuesdays in the second half of the season , a majority of games during the first two rounds of the playoffs , and one conference finals series .
The 2016-17 NBA season was the 71st season of the National Basketball Association . The regular season began on October 25 , 2016 , with the 2016 NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers hosting a game against the New York Knicks . The 2017 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans , Louisiana , on February 19 , 2017 , with the West defeating the East 192-182 . Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans was named the All Star Game MVP after breaking Wilt Chamberlain 's record by scoring 52 points in the All Star Game . The original host of the game , Charlotte 's Spectrum Center , was removed as the host on July 21 , 2016 due to the league 's opposition against North Carolina 's Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act . The regular season ended on April 12 , 2017 , and the playoffs began on April 15 , 2017 and ended on June 12 , 2017 , with the Golden State Warriors going 16-1 in the playoffs and beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games during their third consecutive matchup in the NBA Finals .
The 2015-16 NBA season was the 70th season of the National Basketball Association . The regular season began on Tuesday , October 27 , 2015 at the United Center , home of the Chicago Bulls , with their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers . The 2016 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto , Ontario , Canada on February 14 , 2016 . The regular season ended on April 13 , 2016 . The playoffs started on April 16 , 2016 and ended with the 2016 NBA Finals on June 19 , 2016 , with the Cleveland Cavaliers becoming NBA Champions for the first time in franchise history after defeating the Golden State Warriors in seven games .
The 2014-15 NBA season was the 69th season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The NBA draft took place on June 26 , 2014 , at Barclays Center in Brooklyn , where Andrew Wiggins was selected first overall . The regular season began on Tuesday , October 28 , 2014 , when the defending NBA champions San Antonio Spurs hosted the first game against the Dallas Mavericks . The 2015 NBA All-Star Game was played on Sunday , February 15 , 2015 , at Madison Square Garden in New York City , with the West defeating the East 163-158 . Oklahoma City 's Russell Westbrook won the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award . The regular season ended on Wednesday April 15 , 2015 and the playoffs began on Saturday , April 18 , 2015 and ended with the 2015 NBA Finals on June 16 , 2015 , after the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to win their fourth NBA title . The Charlotte Bobcats played their first official game as the Charlotte Hornets since 2002 .
The 2013-14 NBA season was the 68th season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The regular season began on Tuesday , October 29 , 2013 , with the Indiana Pacers hosting a game against the Orlando Magic followed by the 2012-13 NBA champions Miami Heat hosting a game against the Chicago Bulls followed by the Los Angeles Lakers hosting a game against the Los Angeles Clippers . The 2014 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 16 , 2014 , at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans . Cleveland 's Kyrie Irving won the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award . The regular season ended on April 16 , 2014 , and the playoffs began on Saturday , April 19 , 2014 , and ended on June 15 , 2014 , with the San Antonio Spurs defeating the Miami Heat in five games to win the 2014 NBA Finals .
The 2012-13 NBA season was the 67th season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The regular season began on Tuesday , October 30 , 2012 , when the 2011-12 NBA Champions Miami Heat started the season by hosting the Boston Celtics . The 2013 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 17 , 2013 , at Toyota Center in Houston , Texas . The regular season ended on Wednesday , April 17 , 2013 , and the playoffs began on Saturday , April 20 , 2013 and ended on June 20 , 2013 , with the Miami Heat defeating the San Antonio Spurs in seven games to win the 2013 NBA Finals .
The 2011-12 NBA season was the 66th season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , began with the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement ( CBA ) between the owners of the 30 NBA teams and the NBA 's players . The previous CBA , which was ratified in 2005 , expired at 12:01 AM EDT on July 1 , 2011 , resulting in a lockout . With the new deal in place , the regular season was shortened from the normal 82 games per team to 66 , because of nearly two months of inactivity . The season began on December 25 , 2011 , and ended on April 26 , 2012 . The playoffs started on April 28 and ended on June 21 when the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their series , 121-106 , winning the Finals , 4-1 and to capture the franchise 's second NBA title . LeBron James was named both the season MVP and the NBA Finals MVP .
The 2010-11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20 , 2011 , at Staples Center in Los Angeles . The season concluded with the Dallas Mavericks defeating the Miami Heat in six games , 4 games to 2 , to win their first NBA title , and Dirk Nowitzki was named Finals MVP . Chicago 's Derrick Rose was named the 2010-11 NBA MVP . This would also be the final season of Shaquille ONeal .
The 2009-10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The 1,230-game regular season ( 82 games for each of the 30 teams ) began on Tuesday , October 27 , 2009 , and ended on Wednesday , April 14 , 2010 . The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25 , 2009 , and Blake Griffin was selected first overall by the Los Angeles Clippers . The Dallas Mavericks hosted the 59th Annual All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington , Texas , on February 14 , 2010 . For the second time in NBA history , all eight Western Conference playoff teams won at least 50 games , and only 7 wins separated the Western Conference # 1 seed from # 8 seed . Both of these events first occurred in 2008 . Cleveland 's league-leading 61 wins was the lowest win total to lead the league since the Indiana Pacers won 61 games in 2003-04 . The New Jersey Nets became the fifth team in NBA history to lose 70 games in a season .
The 2008-09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals , four games to one . The 2008 NBA draft was held on June 28 , 2008 , and Derrick Rose was selected first overall by the Chicago Bulls and eventually awarded the 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year Award . The 2009 NBA All-Star Game was hosted at the US Airways Center in Phoenix . The Western Conference All-Stars defeated the Eastern Conference All-Stars 146-119 . The All-Star Game co-MVPs were Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant . This was the first NBA season since 1966-67 without a Seattle franchise , as the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City , Oklahoma in July 2008 and became the Oklahoma City Thunder .
The 2007-08 NBA season was the 62nd season of the National Basketball Association . The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 to win the 2008 NBA Finals , four games to two . The 2007 NBA draft was held on June 28 , 2007 and Greg Oden was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers . However , he missed the entire season due to knee surgery . This season was notable for being one of the most competitive Western Conference playoff races in NBA history . Up until April 4 , 2008 , not a single Western Conference team had secured a playoff spot , and the 8th-seeded team was a mere 6.5 games behind the 1st seed . Additionally , the quality of the teams ensured that the Golden State Warriors finished with the highest winning percentage of any non-playoff team in NBA history since the switch to the eight-team playoff format , beating out the 2000-01 Houston Rockets . The all-time record is held by the 1971-72 Phoenix Suns ( 49-33 ) , which was during the four-team playoff era .
The 2006-07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association . The San Antonio Spurs were crowned the champions after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals .
The 2005-06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association . The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals , four games to two .
The 2004-05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . It began on November 2 , 2004 and ended June 23 , 2005 . The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating the defending-champion Detroit Pistons , 4-3 , in the NBA Finals .
The 2003-04 NBA season was the 58th season of the National Basketball Association . The season ended with the Detroit Pistons defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the 2004 NBA Finals .
The 2002-03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals . This would be Michael Jordan 's last season in the NBA .
The 2001-02 NBA season was the 56th season of the National Basketball Association . The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their third straight championship , beating the New Jersey Nets 4-0 in the 2002 NBA Finals .
The NBA on NBC is the branding used for presentations of National Basketball Association ( NBA ) games produced by the NBC television network in the United States . NBC held broadcast rights from 1955 to 1962 and again from 1990 ( when it obtained the rights from CBS ) to 2002 . During NBC 's partnership with the NBA in the 1990s , the league rose to unprecedented popularity , with ratings surpassing the days of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the mid-1980s .