NBCUniversal embitters NFL football fans with a forced streaming subscription to Peacock TV to watch NFL Wild Card playoff game between the Chiefs and Dolphins.
Peacock TV and owner NBCUniversal are entering unchartered grounds with the decision to spend $110M on exclusive streaming distribution of the NFL Wild Card playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night, Jan. 13, 2024.
NFL playoffs, and most major sports playoffs in the US, have always been broadcast on traditional cable and satellite television and supported by ads. But the Saturday night game will only be available to Peacock TV subscribers, a service that starts at $5.99 per month. And, the game will still have ads.
However, if either the Chiefs or the Dolphins is your home team, the Wild Card game will be available in local markets and over-the-air, but not nationally.
It also seems strange that NBC would stream the Saturday night game exclusively on Peacock while offering the earlier Wild Card game between the Browns and Texans on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo, as well as the Rams vs. Lions game on Sunday night.
Some blame the NFL for being greedy, but most seem to blame NBC (who has the rights to Sunday Night Football games, in the third year of a seven-year contract) for exploiting football fans. It should be noted, however, the Wild Card distribution on Peacock TV was a separate deal with the NFL.
All we can say is, it’s going to fun times if Peacock TV crashes and paying customers can’t get the stream.
What about you? Are you going to pay for Peacock TV to watch the game? See the X poll below.
Are you getting #PeacockTV just for the Kansas City Chiefs vs the Miami Dolphins #NFL #WildCard game on Saturday?
— HD Report (@hdreport) January 12, 2024
