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Posted in: NFL, Opinion, Peacock, Sports, TV, TV | Tagged: Chiefs, Dolphins, kansas city, miami, nfl, opinion, peacock
How NFL, Peacock Fumbled Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins Stream
NFL fans aren't happy with how the league and Peacock are streaming the Kansas City Chiefs/Miami Dolphins game - and they have a good point.
Article Summary
- NFL and Peacock face backlash for making Chiefs/Dolphins game a paid stream.
- Local fans can watch for free, but others are forced to subscribe to Peacock or NFL+.
- Rep. Pat Ryan criticizes the lack of a "free trial" for the playoff game streaming.
- The move may prove a PR misstep, forgoing long-term growth for short-term profit.
Okay, before we get into any of the negative stuff, some good news for some of you about the NFL & Peacock's deal to exclusively stream tonight's AFC Wild Card game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. If you're a fan in the Miami and Kansas City areas, you'll be able to watch the game on WTVJ NBC 6 and KSHB NBC 41, respectively. But other than that? If you're looking to see two-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs take on Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and the Miami Dolphins, you've only got two choices: Peacock or NFL+. Let's just say that folks aren't happy about it… and they have a point.
It's not so much that the game is streaming – because that's the direction that everything is flowing to, folks. Even as the big companies look to clean themselves off after jumping into the "stream" a little too early without looking first, streaming is becoming the new cable – even as the NFL continues to keep the broadcast networks' & linear cable's hearts beating. And no one can say that there wasn't enough notice given, with the announcement rolled out in May 2023 that Saturday night's game would be a Peacock exclusive. But the NFL and the streaming service fumbled the ball big time with a really bad play call. There isn't a "free trial" option for either Peacock or NFL+.
We know what you're thinking. Why would they do that when they wanna make mad money? Because when you're a league that has a very long history of offering playoff games for free and/or easily, you need to play the public relations long-game. Sure, the NFL gave us an eight-month heads-up – but if this is your first time doing it? Then you would want as many people to stream the game as possible to get used to watching games on streaming. That way, they start getting used to streaming as being a new part of their viewing equation. Plus, we've seen in the past that "free trial" offers often lead to folks staying on subscribers (even if it's because they forget to cancel the subscription and just get auto-charged).
Instead, fans are left to choose either Peacock Premium/Premium Plus (monthly: $5.99/$11.99; annually: $59.99/$119.99) and NFL+ standard/premium (monthly: $6.99/$14.99; annually: $49.99/$99.99) – and that's made folks like Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) mad – so much so that he addressed a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell & NBC Sports president Rick Cordella regarding what he referred to on Twitter/X as "Peacock bait-and-switch BS." And it's hard to say that he doesn't have a very good point. The NFL and Peacock had a chance to grow the idea of streaming being another new home for playoff games – possibly even a Super Bowl – by giving up a little green in the short term for some impactful long-term gains (financial and otherwise). Instead, they're facing a whole lot of NFL fans hitting them with a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct.
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