Peacock to exclusively stream one NFL wild-card playoff game next season
By Mike Murphy
Peacock will exclusively stream an NFL playoff game for the first time next season, in another sign of streaming services' growing interest in live sports.
The NFL and Peacock, the streaming service from Comcast Corp.'s (CMCSA) NBCUniversal, announced a deal late Monday to stream a wild-card playoff game in prime time on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
A price was not disclosed, but the Wall Street Journal reported it was around $110 million.
"As Peacock continues to grow, nothing says 'must-have' programming more than live NFL games," NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua said in a statement.
It will mark the first NFL playoff game not available on broadcast or cable TV. Amazon's (AMZN) Prime Video has streamed playoff games before, but they have also been simulcast on broadcast TV.
This season, Peacock will also exclusively stream an NFL regular-season game for the first time, on Saturday, Dec. 23, when the Buffalo Bills visit the Los Angeles Chargers. Prime Video also exclusively streams Thursday Night Football during the regular season.
"Expanding the digital distribution of NFL content while maintaining wide reach for our games continues to be a key priority for the League, and bringing the excitement of an NFL playoff game exclusively to Peacock's streaming platform is the next step in that strategy," Hans Schroeder, the NFL's executive vice president and chief operating officer of NFL Media, said in a statement.
As subscription growth plateaus, streaming companies are looking for new ways to draw and retain viewers, and live sports are seen as vitally important.
In addition to Peacock and Prime Video, Paramount+ (PARA) and Disney's (DIS) ESPN+ will also stream NFL games, and this year, Alphabet's (GOOGL)(GOOGL) YouTube will be the new home of the NFL's Sunday Ticket package.
Apple TV+ (AAPL) streams Major League Soccer, as well as weekly Major League Baseball games. Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) HBO Max this year started streaming U.S. men's and women's national team soccer matches, while Peacock and Paramount+ stream English Premier League and UEFA Champions League soccer, respectively.
-Mike Murphy
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May 16, 2023 08:08 ET (12:08 GMT)
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