Peacock Sees Exclusive NFL Playoff Game as Great for Business, Despite Likelihood of Increased Cord Cutting
NFL fans who prefer watching the sport via streaming were thrilled to learn that the league will air its first streaming-exclusive playoff game in 2023. The contest will be a Wildcard matchup on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024 and it will only be available to watch on NBCUniversal’s streaming platform Peacock.
NBCU’s parent company Comcast sent its CEO Brian Roberts to the 2023 MoffettNathanson Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference, in part to discuss Peacock’s recent successes. When asked about the exclusive NFL game on Peacock by MoffettNathanson’s Craig Moffett, Roberts pointed out that because Comcast offers broadband internet service as well as a streaming platform, it can afford to worry less about losses in its pay-TV segment.
“Amazon took one football game and put it on Thursday night and change the entire consumption of America with a game that only had 50% of the viewing it had on broadcast the year before,” the CEO said. “It was what it was, but it was only available with streaming. Well, NFL Sunday Ticket is about to go and become only available on streaming. Bob Iger has been ruminating about ESPN going streaming. Regional sports networks are going through some difficult times and talking about streaming. Cord cutting continues to happen. And people are not watching and consuming less entertainment, they’re doing it more and more by streaming.”
Roberts went on to explain that his company is in a “virtuous cycle,” where it could examine itself holistically and use segments that are working well to balance out parts of the company that are seeing losses, like its cable service. Comcast lost more than 2 million cable customers in 2022, but even if the addition of more streaming-exclusive NFL games to the schedule accelerates cord cutting, Roberts sees Comcast as being in a great position to continue succeeding.
“If people are cord-cutting, yes, we lose revenue, but we lose expense,” Roberts explained. “And therefore, it’s maybe not such a big deal as long as they take broadband on the other side, and we can envision a day where that broadband is even more valuable to them and to us and to the shareholders. That’s the plan we’re on.”
Peacock is one of the fastest-growing streaming platforms on the market, seeing its paid user base explode from 9 million to 20 million in one calendar year. The service will carry two exclusive NFL games this year; in addition to the Wildcard matchup, the service will host a regular-season game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills in Week 16. Peacock will also be the exclusive streaming home of the 2024 Summer Olympics from Paris.
With a large and increasing catalog of live sports, plus originals like “Mrs. Davis” and “Pokerface,” it’s no wonder that Peacock continues to add users at such an impressive rate. At a price point of just $4.99 per month, it’s becoming harder and harder to argue that Peacock is not the best value in the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market.
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,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.