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LeBron James is going to have to make room for the NFL. Wednesday's doubleheader on Netflix set records as the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history, with numbers nearly five times more than the NBA. The Baltimore Ravens' 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million while Kansas City's 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 24.1 according to early viewer figures released by Nielsen on Thursday. Nielsen also said there were 65 million U.S. viewers who tuned in for at least one minute of one of the two games. The NBA's five-game slate averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, according to the league and Nielsen. “I love the NFL,” James said in his televised postgame interview Wednesday night. “But Christmas is our day.” While the NBA's Christmas lineup has its best viewer numbers in five years, the NFL has made Christmas one of its tentpole events during the regular season, joining Kickoff Weekend and Thanksgiving. “The numbers speak for themselves and LeBron can have his own view, and I’m sure more people will look at that because of this," said Hans Schroeder, the executive vice president of NFL Media. "But, you know, we’re focused on the NFL and we’re thrilled with the results this year with the Christmas on Netflix and we’re excited to continue to build that over the next couple of years.” Both NFL games surpassed the previous mark of 23 million for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs on Peacock. Viewership for Ravens-Texans peaked with the Beyoncé Bowl. The 20-minute halftime performance averaged over 27 million viewers. The viewer figures include the audience on Netflix, mobile viewership on NFL+ and those who tuned in on CBS stations in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore and Houston. Global ratings and final U.S. numbers are expected to be available on Tuesday. The NFL's Christmas numbers decreased from last season, but not at the rate that usually happens when something goes from broadcast to streaming. Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging 29.48 million on CBS. Once global and Netflix's first-party data is released, both Christmas games should surpass 30 million. The NBA's lineup saw an 84% rise over 2023. One reason for the increase is that all five games were on ABC, compared to two last year. The Los Angeles Lakers’ 115-113 victory over the Golden State Warriors — a game pitting Olympic teammates LeBron James and Stephen Curry — averaged 7.76 million viewers and peaked with about 8.32 million viewers toward the end of the contest, the league said. Those numbers represent the most-watched NBA regular season game in five years. The NBA said all five Christmas games on its schedule — San Antonio at New York in Victor Wembanyama's holiday debut, Minnesota at Dallas, Philadelphia at Boston, Denver at Phoenix and Lakers-Warriors — saw year-over-year viewership increases. Wednesday's numbers pushed NBA viewership for the season across ESPN platforms to up 4% over last season. The league also saw more than 500 million video views on its social media platforms Wednesday, a new record. For the NBA, those are all good signs amid cries that NBA viewership is hurting. “Ratings are down a bit at beginning of the season. But cable television viewership is down double digits so far this year versus last year," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month. “You know, we’re almost at the inflection point where people are watching more programing on streaming than they are on traditional television. And it’s a reason why for our new television deals, which we enter into next year, every game is going to be available on a streaming service.” Part of that new package of television deals that the NBA is entering into next season also increases the number of regular season games broadcast on television from 15 to 75. AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBAHow missing teen Maia Johnston's Upper Hutt rescue unfolded
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It looked like a recipe for disaster. So, when his country's swimmers were being accused of doping earlier this year, one Chinese official cooked up something fast. He blamed it on contaminated noodles. In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete's system. This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for that same drug. The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the half-baked nature of the theory. People are also reading... "The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more," Cottier wrote. Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA had acted reasonably in not appealing China's conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated. Critics of the way the China case was handled can't help but wonder if a wider exploration of the noodle theory, details of which were discovered by The Associated Press via notes and emails from after the meeting where it was delivered, might have lent a different flavor to Cottier's conclusions. "There are more story twists to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie," said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. "And all of it is complete fiction." Something in the kitchen was contaminated In April, reporting from the New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ. China's anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. WADA accepted that explanation, did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the "no-fault findings," as is often seen in similar cases. The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In his 58-page report, Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA's chief scientist "saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities." But without evidence to support pursuing the case, and with the chance of winning an appeal at almost nil, Cottier determined WADA's "decision not to appeal appears indisputably reasonable." But how did the drugs get into the kitchen? A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen? Shortly after the doping positives were revealed, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations held a meeting on April 30 where it heard from the leader of China's agency, Li Zhiquan. Li's presentation was mostly filled with the same talking points that have been delivered throughout the saga — that the positive tests resulted from contamination from the kitchen. But he expanded on one way the kitchen might have become contaminated, harkening to another case in China involving a low-level TMZ positive. A pharmaceutical factory, he explained, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug "then entered the market through illegal channels," he said. The alcohol "was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles," Li said. "The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample. "The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice." New information sent to WADA ... eventually This new information raised eyebrows among the anti-doping leaders listening to Li's report. So much so that over the next month, several emails ensued to make sure the details about the noodles and wine made their way to WADA lawyers, who could then pass it onto Cottier. Eventually, Li did pass on the information to WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel and, just to be sure, one of the anti-doping leaders forwarded it, as well, according to the emails seen by the AP. All this came with Li's request that the noodles story be kept confidential. Turns out, it made it into Cottier's report, though he took the information with a grain of salt. "Indeed, giving it more attention would have required it to be documented, then scientifically verified and validated," he wrote. Neither Wenzel nor officials at the Chinese anti-doping agency returned messages from AP asking about the noodles conspiracy and the other athlete who Li suggested had been contaminated by them. Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case. Though WADA considers the case closed, Koehler and others point to situations like this as one of many reasons that an investigation by someone other than Cottier, who was hired by WADA, is still needed. "It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away," Koehler said. "Which clearly it has not." Get local news delivered to your inbox!US stock market: Dow Jones, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 to become volatile under Donald Trump?The new right gathers to celebrate Trump and the splintering of the Republican Party
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Darren Rizzi would be an unconventional choice to take over the New Orleans Saints’ head coaching job on a permanent basis. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen. The Saints (4-7) had been on a seven-game skid when Rizzi, the club’s special teams coordinator, was promoted. They’ve since won two straight, and as the club entered its Week 12 bye, prominent players were already discussing their desire to continue improving Rizzi’s resume. Before the Saints’ demoralizing defeat at Carolina precipitated the firing of third-year coach Dennis Allen , Rizzi had never been a head coach at the NFL or major college level. The north New Jersey native and former Rhode Island tight end got his first head coaching job at Division II New Haven in 1999.Late kickoff return TDs by Turpin and Thomas spark the Cowboys as they end their 5-game skid
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PHILADELPHIA — Jason Kelce will try his hand at late-night television early next year. Kelce announced during an appearance on ABC's “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday night that he will host “They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce,” on ESPN. The one-hour show will tape on five straight Friday nights beginning Jan. 3. That coincides with the last week of the NFL's regular season and the playoffs. The show will originate in front of a live audience from Union Transfer in Philadelphia. The first four episodes will air at 1 a.m. EST starting on Jan. 4 with the final episode coming on at 1:30 a.m. EST on Feb. 1. “I loved late-night shows, I’ve always loved them. I remember sleepovers watching Conan O’Brien with my friends,” Kelce said on Kimmel's show. “We’re going to have a bunch of guys up there — legends of the game, friends that I played with, coaches, celebrities,” Kelce said. The Philadelphia-based band Snacktime will provide the show's music. The show's title is a homage to “They Call it Pro Football,” which was NFL Films’ first full-length film in 1967. NFL Films originated in Philadelphia and founders Ed and Steve Sabol are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It also featured the legendary voice of John Facenda, who did the news on Philadelphia television before becoming better known as the voice of NFL Films. NFL Films will produce the show in conjunction with Kelce’s Wooderboy Productions and Skydance Sports. Each episode will also be also seen on Replays airing on ESPN2, and also be available on ESPN+, ESPN's YouTube channel and the Jason Kelce channel on YouTube. Kelce is in the first year of a multi-year agreement with ESPN. He appears on the network's “Monday Night Countdown” show as well as providing halftime and postgame analysis. He played 13 years for the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring at the end of last season and was the most sought-after former player by networks. He participated in last year’s NFL Broadcasting and Media Workshop , which used to be known as the “Broadcast Bootcamp.” Kelce has made news lately, though, for other reasons. He was involved in a confrontation with a fan in State College, Pennsylvania, before the Penn State-Ohio State game on Nov. 2, when a fan heckled Kelce and appeared to shout an anti-gay slur about his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, for dating pop star Taylor Swift. Video showed Kelce grabbing the fan’s phone and throwing it to the ground. Kelce apologized about the incident on ESPN on Nov. 4. On Thursday night an autograph seeker verbally confronted Kelce outside the El Capitan Entertainment Center in Hollywood, where “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is taped. Video obtained by TMZ shows Kelce explaining that he doesn’t sign autographs for people that follow where he is going. After being shouted at for over two minutes, Kelce eventually got out of the car and signed autographs, including shaking the hand of a man who was berating Kelce with obscenities. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflShania Twain celebrates Christmas with cozy, make-up free lookFamed Colombian drug lord Fabio Ochoa released from US prison and deportedNayanthara Breaks Her Silence About Having The Courage To Talk About Dhanush "I Have To Be Scared When... "
Treaty Principles Bill: ‘I have never seen a bill more damaging to our race relations’ – former Race Relations Commissioner Joris de BresToronto Raptors (7-22, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (18-10, third in the Eastern Conference) New York; Monday, 7:30 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Knicks -13.5; over/under is 227.5 BOTTOM LINE: Toronto aims to break its seven-game skid with a victory over New York. The Knicks are 13-7 in conference games. New York is 2-1 in games decided by 3 points or fewer. The Raptors are 1-3 against the rest of their division. Toronto ranks sixth in the league with 28.6 assists per game led by RJ Barrett averaging 6.1. The Knicks make 49.5% of their shots from the field this season, which is 3.4 percentage points higher than the Raptors have allowed to their opponents (46.1%). The Raptors are shooting 46.1% from the field, 0.1% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks' opponents have shot this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is shooting 53.0% and averaging 24.5 points for the Knicks. Scottie Barnes is scoring 19.4 points per game and averaging 8.2 rebounds for the Raptors. LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 8-2, averaging 112.4 points, 45.0 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 8.5 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 101.7 points per game. Raptors: 2-8, averaging 109.9 points, 43.8 rebounds, 29.2 assists, 7.0 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.6 points. INJURIES: Knicks: Mitchell Robinson: out (ankle). Raptors: Bruce Brown: out (reconditioning), Jakob Poeltl: out (groin), Immanuel Quickley: out (elbow). ___
President-elect Donald Trump laughed off liberal angst over tech mogul Elon Musk’s growing political influence and affirmed that the space and Tesla guru won’t be president. Last week, after Musk helped gin up political opposition to a government funding measure, Democrats dubbed him “President Musk” and seemingly angled to exploit his and Trump’s egos to pit them against each other. “All the different hoaxes, and the new one is, ‘President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk,’ ” Trump, 78, griped to a crowd at Turning Point Action’s AmericaFest in Phoenix, Ariz., on Sunday. “No, no. That’s not happening. “I’m safe. You know why? He can’t be. He wasn’t born in this country.” Under Article II of the Constitution, only natural-born citizens can be eligible for the presidency. Musk was born in South Africa and became a US citizen in 2002. Since Trump’s election victory, Musk, 53, has spent weeks hunkered down in at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago, Fla., estate, sitting in on key meetings with Trump and offering his advice on policy decisions. A chorus of Democrats have latched onto the world’s richest man’s pronounced political influence and worked to get under Trump’s skin by trying to suggest that the president-elect’s sway has been diminished. But Trump declined to take the bait Sunday and instead heaped praise on Musk, crowing about how the SpaceX founder’s company caught its Starship super heavy lift rocket with Mechazilla in October at Starbase. The president-elect also commended Musk for helping him win in Pennsylvania and supplying Internet access through Musk’s Starlink set-up to storm-ravaged stretches of North Carolina. “Elon’s done an amazing job. Isn’t it nice to have some smart people that we can rely on? Don’t we want that? He’s done a great job,” Trump said. “He’s a great guy, and we want to have him.” Trump has tapped Musk, alongside biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to helm the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which despite its name, is not actually a government department. Musk rankled Democrats and even some Republicans last week when he publicly assailed a compromise measure intended to prevent a government shutdown. The billionaire tycoon railed against a litany of provisions in the more than 1,500-page bill in X posts for his 208.7 million followers to see, whipping up opposition against it. Later, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance came out publicly against the stopgap measure, sending House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) back to the drawing board. Ultimately, the House of Representatives passed a dramatically pared-down spending patch to keep the government’s lights on through mid-March. Johnson has also downplayed any concerns about Musk. “I love Elon. He’s a force multiplier for us,” Johnson recently told a customer during a stop at Target, which was caught on video.
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The Brightcom Group, shares of which are currently suspended for trading due to non-compliance, said in its "weekly update" that the trading suspension revocation process may advance, once it declares its April-June quarter results for the current financial year on Saturday, November 30, 2024. NSE It had earlier mentioned that it is confident of its trading suspension being revoked by the BSE and the NSE "well before" December 14, 2024. "The focus remains on making sure full trading resumes as quickly as possible," the Brightcom Group said in its weekly update. Brightcom Group shares have been suspended for regular trading for over five months now, leaving over 6.5 lakh small shareholders in the lurch. They only trade in the trade-for-trade segment and are categorized in the 'Z' group of stocks, where trading takes place only on the first trading day of the week. The weekly update also mentioned that the Group's appeal at the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) will be heard on December 4. Earlier this year, the SAT had dismissed Brightcom Group's appeal against the order issued by market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which barred former Chairman PS Reddy and CFO Narayan Raju from holding key managerial positions. The recent hearing addressed the specific regulatory orders related to asset impairment and preferential issues, not the broader compliance or revocation process. Brightcom Group also recently conducted its Annual General Meeting (AGM), where it said all the proposals were passed and also conducted an investor call, the transcript for which will also be shared to the exchanges. During the January-March quarter of financial year 2024, Brightcom Group's revenue fell to ₹704 crore from ₹1,367 crore during the same quarter last year, but increased from the ₹453 crore it reported in the October-December period. It also reported a net profit of ₹37.45 crore, according to its P&L statement, compared to a loss of ₹24 crore in the previous quarter.Kendrick Lamar surprises with new album 'GNX' LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present with a new album. The Grammy winner released his sixth studio album “GNX” on Friday. The 12-track project is the rapper’s first release since 2022’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.” Lamar’s new album comes just months after his rap battle with Drake. The rap megastar will headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. The 37-year-old has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize. NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo sent to team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Ancient meets modern as a new subway in Greece showcases archaeological treasures THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, is opening a new subway system, blending ancient archaeological treasures with modern transit technology like driverless trains and platform screen doors. The project, which began in 2003, uncovered over 300,000 artifacts, including a Roman-era thoroughfare and Byzantine relics, many of which are now displayed in its 13 stations. Despite delays caused by preserving these findings, the inaugural line has been completed, with a second line set to open next year. Conor McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has awarded more than $250,000 to a woman who says she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The jury on Friday awarded Nikita Hand in her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced her to do anything and that Hand fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. McGregor says he will appeal the verdict. At least 19 people are sick in Minnesota from ground beef tied to E. coli recall U.S. health officials say at least 19 people in Minnesota have been sickened by E. coli poisoning tied to a national recall of more than 167,000 pounds of potentially tainted ground beef. Detroit-based Wolverine Packing Co. recalled the meat sent to restaurants nationwide. Minnesota state agriculture officials reported multiple illnesses and found that a sample of the product tested positive for E. coli, which can cause life-threatening infections. No illnesses have been reported outside of Minnesota. Symptoms of E. coli poisoning include fever, vomiting, diarrhea and signs of dehydration. Actor Jonathan Majors’ ex-girlfriend drops assault and defamation lawsuit against once-rising star NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Majors’ ex-girlfriend has dropped her assault and defamation lawsuit against the once-rising Hollywood star after reaching a settlement. Lawyers for Majors and Grace Jabbari agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice Thursday. Jabbari is a British dancer who had accused Majors of subjecting her to escalating incidents of physical and verbal abuse during their relationship. Representatives for Majors didn’t respond to emails seeking comment Friday. Jabbari’s lawyer said the suit was “favorably settled” and her client is moving on with “her head held high.” Majors was convicted of misdemeanor assault and harassment last December and sentenced to a yearlong counseling program. Hyundai, Kia recall over 208,000 electric vehicles to fix problem that can cause loss of power DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai and Kia are recalling over 208,000 electric vehicles to fix a pesky problem that can cause loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. The recalls cover more than 145,000 Hyundai and Genesis vehicles including the 2022 through 2024 Ioniq 5, the 2023 through 2025 Ioniq 6, GV60 and GV70, and the 2023 and 2024 G80. Also included are nearly 63,000 Kia EV 6 vehicles from 2022 through 2024. The affiliated Korean automakers say in government documents that a transistor in a charging control unit can be damaged and stop charging the 12-volt battery. Dealers will inspect and replace the control unit and a fuse if needed. They also will update software. Christmas TV movies are in their Taylor Swift era, with two Swift-inspired films airing this year Two of the new holiday movies coming to TV this season have a Taylor Swift connection that her fans would have no problem decoding. “Christmas in the Spotlight” debuts Saturday on Lifetime. It stars Jessica Lord as the world’s biggest pop star and Laith Wallschleger, playing a pro football player, who meet and fall in love, not unlike Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. On Nov. 30, Hallmark will air “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.” Instead of a nod to Swift, it’s an ode to family traditions and bonding, like rooting for a sports team. Hallmark’s headquarters is also in Kansas City. Top football recruit Bryce Underwood changes commitment to Michigan instead of LSU, AP source says ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Top football recruit Bryce Underwood has flipped to Michigan after pledging to play at LSU. That's according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the recruit’s plans to join the Wolverines. Underwood pinned a post on his Instagram account, showing a post in which On3.com reported that he has committed to Michigan. The 6-foot-3 quarterback played at Belleville High School about 15 miles east of Michigan's campus, and told LSU nearly a year ago he intended to enroll there. Emperor penguin released at sea 20 days after waddling onto Australian beach MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The only emperor penguin known to have swum from Antarctica to Australia has been released at sea 20 days after he waddled ashore on a popular tourist beach. The adult male was found on Nov. 1 on sand dunes in temperate southwest Australia about 2,200 miles north of the Antarctic coast. He was released Wednesday from a boat that traveled several hours from Western Australia state's most southerly city of Albany. His caregiver Carol Biddulph wasn't sure at first if the penguin would live. She said a mirror was important to his rehabilitation because they provide a sense of company. Biddulph said: “They’re social birds and he stands next to the mirror most of the time.”
