Media companies that have rights to National Football League (NFL) games have benefitted from strong viewership during the 2023 season.
The strong viewership spilled over into the NFL Playoffs and one media company could benefit from a streaming exclusive.
What Happened: Six NFL Playoffs games were broadcast over the weekend with Comcast Corporation
Comcast was the only media company to have more than one game over the weekend with two airing on NBC on Saturday and Sunday. The company also aired the first ever exclusive to streaming NFL Playoffs game with Saturday night's Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs game exclusive to Peacock.
The media company reported the AFC Wild Card Game was the biggest livestreamed event in U.S. history with an average of 23 million viewers. The game was ahead of last year's Saturday primetime AFC Wild Card game by 6% according to the company.
Comcast said the game set records for internet usage on Saturday night as well, representing 30% of internet traffic during the game.
The game hit a peak of 24.6 million viewers during the second quarter and reached a total of 27.6 million viewers according to the company.
Streaming the NFL Playoffs contest helped Peacock deliver its largest single day for audience usage, engagement and time spent.
The earlier Saturday game between the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans averaged 29.0 million viewers on NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports Digital, NFL Digital and Telemundo. This made the game the most-watched Saturday NFL Wild Card game on NBC since 2014.
Why It's Important: The first-ever exclusive streaming game came with controversy with many NFL fans upset they would have to subscribe to a streaming platform to watch the game. Players also voiced their frustration with one Chiefs player giving away Peacock subscriptions to fans to help out.
Streaming exclusives for the NFL are likely here to say, with Amazon.com, Inc.
"We couldn't be prouder of our partnership with Peacock and are thrilled with the results of the first-ever exclusively livestreamed NFL playoff game," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "As these results show, the NFL is not only serving our fans who consumer our content in a multitude of ways but helping to shape the future of the entire sports and entertainment industry."
Even the Super Bowl rights are expanding with Disney's ESPN getting media rights to Super Bowl LXI and LXV in 2027 and 2031, respectively, the first time it will air the big game. Broadcast network ABC will also air those Super Bowls, so the biggest sporting event in the U.S. won't be exclusive to streaming or cable yet.
Comcast has been benefitting from strong NFL viewership for years and its Sunday Night Football rights remain one of the best in sports.
In 2023, NFL games ranked among the most-watched TV primetime events with 45 games among the top 100 most-watched U.S. primetime broadcasts, as shared by Variety.
Comcast had six of the top 10 most-watched primetime broadcasts in 2023 thanks to the NFL:
5. NFL Playoffs (Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens): 27.08 million
6. Thursday Night Football (NFL Opening Night): 25.04 million
7. Sunday Night Football (Chiefs vs. New York Jets): 25.02 million
8. Thursday Night Football Special (San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks): 25.01 million
9. Sunday Night Football (49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys): 25.00 million
10. Sunday Night Football (Green Bay Packers vs. Chiefs): 23.81 million
Comcast had 14 of the top 20 primetime broadcasts of 2023 with its NFL games.
The media company has one more NFL Playoffs game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions game airing on NBC on Jan. 21 at 3 p.m. ET.
Comcast is also the home of the 2024 Summer Olympics, adding to a potentially strong year of sports coverage on broadcast and streaming.
With the streaming exclusive, Comcast could see a boost to its streaming subscribers. The big question will be if fans stay or cancel after the NFL Playoffs.
Comcast reports fourth-quarter financial results on Jan. 25, which could provide a better look at expectations for Peacock and the upcoming Olympics and how the NFL rights are benefitting the media company.
