Kansas City, Missouri – In a historic moment for the NFL, Saturday night’s wild-card battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins became the most-streamed game in league history, drawing in an average of 23 million viewers. Despite initial concerns over the exclusive broadcasting of the game on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, fans flocked to witness the frozen clash.
This record-breaking viewership surpassed the previous streaming record set in late November when the Dallas Cowboys triumphed over the Seattle Seahawks on “Thursday Night Football,” attracting an average of 15.26 million viewers on Prime Video. However, Saturday’s game garnered even more attention as fans outside of Kansas City and Miami had to pay a subscription fee to watch the highly-anticipated matchup.
Notably, this playoff game marked the first time in NFL history that a playoff matchup aired exclusively on a streaming network. With Peacock’s “Premium” subscription priced at $5.99 per month, the service’s popularity has surged, boasting 30 million subscribers. This figure reflects a 75 percent increase in subscriptions compared to the previous year, according to Comcast.
In addition to its recent success, Peacock previously secured exclusive broadcasting rights for a regular-season game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills on December 23. Though this game drew an average of 7.3 million viewers, reaching its peak audience of 8.4 million in the fourth quarter, it pales in comparison to Amazon Prime’s “Thursday Night Football” average of 11.86 million viewers in 2022, representing a significant jump of 24 percent from the previous year.
Rick Cordella, president of NBC Sports and overseer of sports on Peacock, expressed his evaluation criteria for the Chiefs-Dolphins game, emphasizing the importance of production quality and a smooth technological distribution. Additionally, he highlighted metrics such as the game’s impact on subscription numbers, the acquisition of new subscribers, meeting internal traffic goals, and satisfaction from advertising partners.
While Peacock did not openly emphasize viewership goals, it is apparent that its parent company, Comcast, aimed to avoid a viewership disaster. The impressive average viewership of 23 million for Saturday’s game surpasses last year’s least-watched playoff game by a couple of million viewers. This remarkable achievement bodes well for both the NFL and Peacock, offering strong indications that exclusive live-streamed NFL playoff games will become a recurring feature in the future.
The success of Saturday’s game highlights the growing significance of streaming platforms in sports broadcasting, signifying a shift in viewer preferences. As fans eagerly anticipate the next groundbreaking matchup, the NFL and Peacock look set to capitalize on this growing trend.
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