Jan’ 13th night’s wild-card game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins will be broadcast exclusively on Peacock outside of the Kansas City and Miami markets. This made this game his first NFL playoff game ever to be broadcast exclusively on a streaming service. This is the product of a big bet by his NBCUniversal bet on this match as a potential gateway to more Peacock subscribers.
NBCUniversal sees sports as key to expanding its streaming service Peacock, which remains a relatively small player in the streaming wars with 30 million subscribers.
In May, NBCUniversal announced a deal with the NFL to broadcast this season’s playoff games worth $110 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.
It wasn’t the only NFL tournament NBCUniversal had this year – the company also aired last month’s Bills-Chargers game commercial-free on Peacock during the fourth quarter, and will do the same for tonight’s playoff game. The company plans to – at the cost of significant advertising revenue during games – hopes to offer a premium sports experience that will attract Peacock subscribers.
Peacock’s website advertises “his first exclusive streaming NFL playoff game” and offers him 50% off his year on Peacock.
This streaming service currently offers NFL, Big Ten college football, WWE, rugby, soccer, and golf programming.
So far, there hasn’t been much enthusiasm for the Peacock deal, with NFL fans flocking to social media to complain. Even Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu weighed in on Peacock’s three-month subscription. The decision has also raised eyebrows among politicians, with Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) calling the deal “bait-and-switch nonsense.”
