When tuning in to watch the Miami Dolphins at the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round on Saturday night, you will have to head to Peacock. That is because, for the first time, Peacock will be showing a game exclusively on their platform.
Why Is the Game Only on Peacock?
It is the first time the streaming platform has exclusively broadcast a playoff game, and fans unaware that the game is only on Peacock could be caught off guard when turning on their television sets expecting to watch the Dolphins at Chiefs.
It is the latest in the NFL’s attempt to maximize streaming potential after partnering with Amazon Prime to broadcast Thursday Night Football. The Dolphins-Chiefs game also isn’t the first game to be broadcast on Peacock. The streaming service exclusively broadcasted the Bills at the Chargers on Dec. 23.
Peacock is a part of NBCUniversal, which paid $110 million for exclusive rights to broadcast the game. It is a one-year trial between Peacock and the NFL as the league explores new opportunities with its broadcast deals.
The NFL is certainly looking to expand its coverage on streaming platforms, and the playoff game broadcast exclusively on Peacock is the next step in that journey.
Hans Schroeder, the NFL Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of NFL Media, explained why the NFL signed the deal with Peacock.
“Expanding the digital distribution of NFL content while maintaining wide reach for our games continues to be a key priority for the League,” Schroeder said. “Bringing the excitement of an NFL playoff game exclusively to Peacock’s streaming platform is the next step in that strategy.”
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NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua said, “We are thrilled to partner with the NFL on this industry milestone, bringing to Peacock the first ever exclusively live-streamed NFL Playoff game. As Peacock continues to grow, nothing says ‘must-have’ programming more than live NFL games.”
The decision to put the game on Peacock and take it off free-to-air television has angered many NFL fans. It means that viewers will have to take out a monthly subscription with the provider to access one game.
Fans will have to fork out the $5.99 monthly subscription to watch the game, with Peacock offering no free trials.
The only way to avoid the charge is to be in the Kansas City or Miami area, where the game will be broadcast on NBC affiliates.
It will be the first time a playoff game won’t be free to air since 2015, when the Carolina Panthers faced the Arizona Cardinals. The game was on ESPN and suffered from terrible ratings, so ESPN has opted to simultaneously broadcast games on its sister channel, ABC, since.
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