NBCUniversal reportedly made a $110 million gamble when it bought exclusive rights to the AFC Wild Card game for its Peacock streaming service last year. That bet has paid off handsomely.
In the three days leading up to the January matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins, Peacock saw an estimated 2.8 million sign-ups from new customers, according to data from analytics firm Antenna. That’s the single biggest subscriber acquisition moment the firm has ever seen.
While not all of those subscribers are likely to stick with Peacock, Antenna data shows that people who do sign up for a streaming service when motivated by sporting events are more likely to remain as customers than people who sign up for other reasons, such as a buzzy program.
NBCUniversal, it’s worth noting, has not announced any subscriber numbers that accompanied the game. Before the playoffs, however, Peacock boasted 30 million members, a significantly smaller number than Netflix, Disney+, or Max.
The Chiefs-Dolphins matchup was the first NFL postseason game to ever be exclusively broadcast on a streaming service. It also had the benefit of perhaps capturing the interest of Taylor Swift fans, many of whom have started following and watching the Chiefs after she and Travis Kelce started dating.
To put the 2.8 million number into some perspective, Antenna notes that new sign-ups during the 2021 Super Bowl (which aired, but not exclusively, on Peacock) amounted to just 900,000. Sign-ups for the 2022 Super Bowl totaled 1.1 million. And a promotion over Thanksgiving in 2022 captured just 1.5 million. Those three events were previously the biggest spikes for Peacock sign-ups.
While some fans were unhappy with having to add another subscription streaming service if they wanted to watch the game, the NFL certainly was thrilled with the game’s viewership numbers—and indicated it’s open to more streaming exclusives moving forward.
“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,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement. “To best serve our fans, we need to ensure games are available to them as their viewing habits change, and this includes digital distribution as we continue to help shape the future of the sports and entertainment industry.”
