NFL accidentally gives NBA ratings boost

You would think that a matchup between the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, two traditional powerhouses, would be a big draw on "Thursday Night Football." And it was, pulling in 10.7 million viewers. But it's not as big as it might have been, since both teams are struggling. Five years ago, this would have been a duel between Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger. This year? Bailey Zappe versus Mitch Trubisky. 

The NFL has been encroaching on the NBA's territory in recent years. Christmas Day used to be wall-to-wall basketball, with the NBA televising five different games. Now the NFL is scheduling its own games on the holiday, slotting in three high-profile games this Christmas, including a potential Super Bowl preview in a San Francisco 49ers-Baltimore Ravens prime time clash.

TNT even moved its flagship show, "Inside The NBA" to Tuesday nights during football season, acknowledging the ratings power of "Thursday Night Football." However, that power is muted when Patriots fans are thinking more about getting a high pick in next year's draft than actually pulling for their 3-10 team to win games. And the Steelers have an awful offense. After Thursday's 21-18 defeat, Pittsburgh has lost back-to-back games against teams with only two wins.

Meanwhile, the games of the in-season tournament were delivering higher ratings than normal. The matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors averaged over two million viewers, up 93 percent from a Tuesday late game last season.

Even though it was a blowout, the Lakers-Pelicans semifinal on Thursday delivered 2.17 million viewers across TNT, TBS and TruTV. The earlier Pacers-Bucks semifinal brought in 1.6 million viewers despite starting at 5 PM Eastern.

The tournament is working to deliver ratings. But the Steelers and Patriots struggling was a big help as well.