In a twist for fans, January’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and eventual champion Kansas City Chiefs was only available via streaming — on Peacock. Although people were at first confused as to why they couldn’t watch the game on TV, it proved a success for Peacock with a ratings bonanza.
So regardless of how inconvenient fans — and gamers alike — consider the new broadcast push, streaming is here to stay. Get your wallets ready.
After last season’s success, Peacock and the NFL are intertwined again this season. The streaming-only slate begins with Friday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo, the first international game of 2024. It also marks the NFL’s first game in Brazil.
Why are there games on Peacock?
NBC began broadcasting “Sunday Night Football” online in 2008, and they were the first NFL partner in the United States to stream the Super Bowl (in 2012). Peacock has become a natural fit for NBC as companies aim to make streamers profitable while navigating the treacherous transition from linear TV to digital. To get more joins, streamers need higher quality, exclusive content.
Peacock’s first exclusive NFL game featured the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers on December 23, 2023. It averaged 7.3 million viewers and peaked at an average of 8.4 million.
The Chiefs-Dolphins championship game turned out to be a massive viewing success. Nielsen custom fast national data showed 23 million viewers watched across Peacock, NBC stations in Miami and Kansas City and on mobile with NFL+.
Senior CBs L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie break up a pass intended for Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill in the AFC wild-card game. (Photo: Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)
How many games will be on Peacock this season?
Friday’s match in Brazil is the only Peacock exclusive of the regular season. The game, which begins at 8:15 pm ET, will also be broadcast on NBC in Green Bay and Philadelphia, and on mobile devices with NFL+.
Peacock will broadcast 22 regular-season games in total, including 18 “Sunday Night Football” games, a Thanksgiving night game between the Dolphins and Packers and a Week 16 game between the Chiefs and Houston Texans on Saturday, December 21.
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Will there be a streaming-only playoff game this season?
Yes – but via Amazon Prime Video.
A year after Peacock aired a wild card game, Amazon gets its turn in 2025. Amazon Prime Video will also be the exclusive home of “Thursday Night Football” starting in Week 2 and will air the Black Friday game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs on the 29th from November
Are any other games exclusive to streamers?
Netflix and ESPN+ will also have their moment as the exclusive home of an NFL game.
In Week 7, when the NFL plays two games on Monday night, one – the Los Angeles Chargers against the Arizona Cardinals – will only be broadcast on ESPN +.
Netflix, meanwhile, has acquired two Christmas games. The Chiefs will play the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 pm ET, while the Ravens and Texans kick off at 4:30 pm ET.
For information on how to stream NFL games on Fubo, click here.
(Top photo of Peacock commentators Jac Collinsworth, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison (from left): Corey Perrine / Florida Times-Union / USA Today)
