The NFL just announced New Deal with Peacock that gives the NBCUniversal-owned national broadcasting service the national broadcast rights to one game in the upcoming season. Described as “the NFL’s first ever exclusive live game,” it will feature two teams facing each other in prime time on January 13, 2024. The arrangement was first reported by The Wall Street Journalwhich cites sources saying the deal for this one game is worth around $110 million.
Of course, we don’t know which two teams will be playing, but for fans who don’t have a Peacock, your viewing options may depend on where you live. Along with the regular season game (Bills for Charge on December 23rd, or you know, Burn It All game) that will also be a Peacock exclusive, the game will air in those teams’ home markets on an NBC affiliate and on NFL Plus, the league’s subscription streaming platform designed for phones and tablets but not televisions.
Peacock’s exclusive Wild Card Game and regular season game will air on NBC stations in the two rival teams’ cities, and will be available on mobile devices with NFL+. The NFL is the only sports league that offers all regular season and postseason games on free-to-air television in local markets.
According to the Wall Street JournalWhen the league struck new broadcast deals in 2021, it reserved the rights to one playoff game per season, and that global deal on NBC is only for the 2023 season. NFL Media director Hans Schroeder told the outlet that it’s “likely” that in the coming years, it will continue. The game is only in streaming, which could attract bids to put it on platforms including Peacock Again, Viacom-owned Paramount Plus, Disney’s ESPN Plus broadcast, or Fox Tubby.
Disclosure: Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, is also an investor in Vox Media, the edgemain company.