The NFL has recently come under fire from passionate fans after announcing that the first-ever exclusive NFL Playoff game will be exclusively streamed on the popular streaming service Peacock.
According to The Wall Street Journal, NBCUniversal has arrived at a one-year agreement with the league to air the Saturday night primetime matchup on Wild Card Weekend exclusively on Peacock, however, both NBC and Peacock will jointly air two other postseason games.
Peacock is paying “in the range of” $110 million for the rights to the game, per the WSJ via Ari Meirov. It remains to be seen if the hefty amount pays off.
Peacock will pay in the range of $110M to exclusively carry a playoff game on the streaming service, per WSJ. https://t.co/fFbhGQ28qV
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 15, 2023
The Chairman of NBC Sports, Pete Bevacqua expressed his excitement to be a part of the milestone following the deal.
“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. With the regular-season schedule revealed last week and today’s announcement, we can’t wait for the 2023 season to kick off”, he said.
Hans Schroeder, NFL Executive Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer of NFL Media, also stated excitement of taking the major move of going digital to ensure wide reach for games.
“We are excited to work with a great partner in Peacock to present the first-ever exclusively live-streamed NFL playoff game this upcoming 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.”
NFL fans are not happy about Peacock broadcasting an NFL Playoff game
Social media platforms have been flooded with comments from disgruntled football enthusiasts expressing their disappointment over the NFL’s choice. Many fans believe the decision to rely on a streaming service for such a significant event alienates those not having access to digital platforms or subscriptions.
A netizen tweeted they won’t be paying any money for a game that should be on basic cable television.
I’m not paying $ for a game that should be on basic cable television.
— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhiferNFL) May 15, 2023
Some users even claimed illegally watching the broadcast and urged others to do the same.
Aint nobody buying peacock lil bro i am watching it illegally and i suggest everyone else do the same
— THUMP (@THump) May 15, 2023
Some have argued the league is prioritizing profit over the accessibility of the game to a wider audience.
Over the last couple of years the NFL is making their product increasingly more difficult to watch.
— Mayo (@iGotSOLE_) May 15, 2023
NFL is getting to greedy. Not a lot of people subscribe to peacock. It's ridiculous. People are getting sick of being milked for money for streaming TV. YouTube price is ridiculous too. There will be backlash from all this.
— C. Kennedy (@ck07712) May 15, 2023
The elderly citizen having no access to digital platforms will not be able to enjoy the broadcast and it is also an intriguing fact for many.
This will infuriate millions of people (like my parents, for example, who don't "do" streaming very well…).
— Tripp Whitbeck (@trippwhitbeck) May 16, 2023
Great so my grandpa is going to have no idea how to watch it… thanks for that Roger
— The $ystem (@__thesystem) May 15, 2023
Many netizens urged the playoff game to be broadcasted on television.
That’s brutal. Just put the damn game on TV https://t.co/sJSKUUtoWs
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) May 15, 2023
While the NFL has embraced streaming platforms in recent years to cater to the growing demand for online content, this decision to exclusively stream a playoff game on Peacock has struck a nerve with fans who feel excluded from the experience.
As the discussion continues to unfold on social media, it remains to be seen whether the league will take fan sentiment into account for future events and strike a balance between embracing digital platforms and ensuring broad accessibility for all football enthusiasts.
