NFL playoff game on Peacock sees mixed reaction

Saturday’s Dolphins-Chiefs game marked the NFL’s first-ever playoff game to stream exclusively on Peacock and the K.C. STAR's Pete Grathoff wrote about the experience under the header, “Viewers report mixed experiences with Peacock’s stream of Chiefs-Dolphins game” (1/13). USA TODAY’s Nate Davis wrote NBC and Peacock were “winners” in the NFL’s Wild Card weekend. The network and its streaming service “didn't get especially compelling game action Saturday,” but “did own the opening day of the 2023 season's postseason action.” Davis wrote once the numbers are in, it “should be interesting to note how many new subscribers came to Peacock amid a low-key controversy surrounding the league's decision” (USA TODAY, 1/13). But NBCSPORTS.com's Mike Florio wrote at some point the NFL will “jeopardize its broadcast antitrust exemption” if it “puts too many playoff games on pay-only platforms” (NBCSPORTS.com, 1/12).

THE STREET’s Colin Salao wrote under the header, “The game ended as a blowout. What do you do with Peacock now?” Salao wrote he did not have “much of a problem with Peacock outside of needing to shell out $5.99 on top of my YouTube TV subscription.” The broadcast has “felt like a typical NBC show” and the advertisements during game breaks have “been the same as typical NBC broadcast.” He noted his did buffer “around twice, but only for a few seconds” (THE STREET, 1/13).