Prime Video Set for First NFL Playoff Game in 2025; Amazon Declined Streaming-Exclusive Wild Card Game Which Went to Peacock
Streaming is undoubtedly the future of sports broadcasting, but the NFL will only fully embrace it when the money makes sense.
For all of the discussion following Sunday night’s Super Bowl centering on the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes, Andy Ried, Travis Kelce, and — of course — Taylor Swift, the real winner of this season’s NFL playoffs might be streaming services. On the heels of the league’s first-ever streaming-exclusive playoff game on Peacock, ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, The Wall Street Journal reported that Prime Video will get into the playoff picture next season with an exclusive game of its own.
Key Points:
- Prime Video will reportedly host the NFL’s 2025 streaming-exclusive playoff game.
- Amazon declined the opportunity to broadcast the 2024 Wild Card game that aired on Peacock.
- Despite additional streaming-exclusive games, the NFL will only fully embrace streaming when the money is right.
In January, Peacock’s exclusive Wild Card game between the Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins became the most-streamed live event in United States history, according to NBCUniversal. Despite frustration from fans at the prospect of having to download and pay for another streaming service just to watch a game that has always previously been free, NBCU reported that 23 million people tuned into the matchup on the streaming platform. That, apparently, was enough to convince the NFL that streaming playoff games was worth the inevitable tradeoff of upset fans and smaller audiences overall; especially when the league can add another deep-pocketed bidder into the negotiations for playoff inventory.
According to the WSJ, Prime Video was given the opportunity to air the first streaming-only playoff game, but turned it down, opening the door for the Comcast-owned Peacock to win the rights. NBCU reportedly paid $110 million to stream the Chiefs-Dolphins game, and the company was keen to keep the league’s one streaming-exclusive playoff contest in 2025. However, according to WSJ sources, Amazon exercised a clause in its “Thursday Night Football” contract that allowed it to override Peacock’s bid and claim the game for its streaming airwaves next season.
Will the NFL Make More Playoff Games Streaming Exclusives?
In addition to Peacock and Prime Video, ESPN+ is also the home for streaming-exclusive games, but thus far, Disney has apparently not entered the fray when it comes to putting playoff contests on its non-linear platforms. However, that could change in the fairly near future, as last week Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that his company was planning on launching a standalone streaming version of all ESPN programming — including live sports — in the fall of 2025, and hosting an exclusive playoff game would certainly bring interest to the platform.
According to research firm Antenna, Peacock’s Wild Card game drove more subscriber sign-ups than any other event in streaming history. If Disney wants to draw attention to its forthcoming service, getting into the mix for a streaming-exclusive playoff game in January 2026 seems to be a fairly surefire way for the worldwide leader in sports to hit the ground running. Of course, that is not the only sports-focused streaming service coming to market in the relatively near future.
Earlier this month, Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery announced that they would be combining their nearly all-encompassing sports rights to launch a streaming joint venture later this year. While details about the platform are still up in the air, there has been no public discussion about additional streaming-exclusive content beyond what ESPN+ and Max already offer. But if Fox or Disney (WBD does not own any NFL rights) wants to move one of its future playoff games to the yet-to-be-named streamer, the NFL would likely be amenable, for the right price.
What Is Stopping the NFL from Moving All Playoff Games to Streaming?
The NFL has been cautious when it comes to branching out to streaming broadcasts. The league loves to diversify its stable of broadcast partners, as the more media companies that carry NFL games means that there are more bidders driving up the cost of the rights. While it would be tempting for the league to go to a pay-per-view playoffs format, don’t expect it any time soon.
The league has been slow to fully embrace streaming for multiple reasons. While nearly everyone in sports and broadcasting recognizes that streaming is the future of entertainment consumption, they also admit that the future is not here yet. The NFL generates far too much revenue from traditional media rights — primarily from broadcast networks — to completely turn its back on those partners.
The league also appears to understand that there is a risk of alienating some casual fans if they make the games too difficult to find. Speaking ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that the success of Peacock’s exclusive playoff game “showed that our fans are on these platforms.” However, he also noted that the possibility of a streaming-exclusive Super Bowl — something that we here at The Streamable contemplated last week — was not currently in the cards.
“One of the secrets of our success,” Goodell said, “is we are really committed to broadcast television. Ninety percent of our games are on broadcast television. I think it’s the reason why you will see over 200 million people watch [the Super Bowl] here in the United States because it’s on broadcast television and the broadest possible platform.”
While streaming-only games will undoubtedly increase in number over the coming years, a full exodus from traditional networks will only happen when the money is no longer there. But, as more and more Americans continue to cut the cord and opt for streaming options over traditional pay television, eventually the money will shift from broadcast to streaming; and when it does, so will the NFL’s broadcast rights.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Amazon Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.