Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State Fans Will Need Peacock to Watch September Football Games
Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State Fans Will Need Peacock to Watch September Football Games
NBC is the newcomer to Big Ten football rights, but it is starting off its first season as one of the conference’s broadcast partners with a bang. Not only will NBC be getting 14 to 16 games to broadcast each season, but its streaming cohort Peacock will also broadcast exclusive games featuring some of the biggest schools in the conference.
On Wednesday, NBCU unveiled its slate of games for the first few weeks of the season, beginning in September. The streaming highlights include the two-time defending conference champion Michigan Wolverines taking on the Eastern Carolina Pirates in Week 1, the Penn State Nittany Lions facing Delaware in Week 2, and the Michigan State Spartans taking on the Washington Huskies in Week 3. In addition to these Peacock exclusives, all Big Ten games shown on NBC this season will be simulcast on the streaming service.
Dropping some BIG news 👀🏈 pic.twitter.com/cg8MXf3epl
— Peacock (@peacock) May 31, 2023
NBC and Peacock were first announced as partners of the Big Ten in August when the conference signed a massive media rights deal. The conference also teamed with CBS and Fox, which means its games will appear on CBS, Fox, FS1, NBC, Paramount+ and Peacock this year. But thus far, Peacock is the only streaming platform that will get exclusive Big Ten games.
The announcement only encompasses the first three weeks of the season, and while announcing broadcast ays and networks often comes out in piecemeal, all of the partners are likely taking their time as they try to figure out the mess left by former Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren. Traditionally, Big Ten schools have not been required to play primetime games after the first week of November because temperatures after sundown can get frigid in the Midwest. But many of NBC/Peacock’s Big Ten games were due to be primetime contests this year, and thanks to an incomplete media rights contract that was agreed to before all details were completely ironed out, Peacock’s late-season games might still be in flux.
There are no such potential stumbling blocks lurking for Peacock and its exclusive NFL schedule this season. Peacock will get an exclusive regular season game in 2023, as well as a Wildcard playoff game that won’t be shown anywhere else, even linear NBC. The amount of exclusive, marquee football matchups on Peacock continues to grow, enhancing its reputation as one of the best streaming bargains available at $4.99 per month.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” “The Office,” and original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports and NBC programming, including the NFL, MLB, WWE, the Olympics, the Premier League, NASCAR, the French Open, college football and basketball, and the PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.