Peacock and National Football Break Streaming Records after Historic Night
” width=”1src24″>
The Peacock and the National Football League had one of their most historic nights. The Kansas City Chiefs secured a 26-7 win over the Miami Dolphins in an exclusively live-streamed playoff game.
The game happened in front of a physical audience of more than 71,000 fans. However, the viewership on Peacock broke records as the game became the most live-streamed event in US history.
Internet Usage in the US Soars As Peacock Live Streams Chiefs-Dolphins Game
The viewership of the Chiefs-Dolphins game saw internet usage in the US climb to the highest record on a single. Those viewing the game consumed 30% of internet traffic during the game.
The live stream, called “Peacock Exclusive AFC Wild Card” secured 27.6 million viewers. During the second quarter of the game, the viewership peaked at 24.6 million viewers, including those who watched out-of-home.
The game is currently the most-streamed event in US history, with an average audience of 23 million on Peacock and NBC stations in Kansas City and Miami, and it also remained high on mobile devices on NFL .
Viewership for this game between 8:11 and 11:01 PM ET was up 6% compared to the 2023 primetime AFC Wild Card Game.
On the day of the game, Peacock posted the highest single day in history in terms of audience numbers, engagement, and time spent. A record 16.3 million concurrent devices tuned in to the live stream.
While speaking on these record viewership numbers, the Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation, Brian Roberts, said that NBC Sports, Peacock, and Comcast were working towards having a better game and a seamless streaming experience with the NFL on a massive scale, adding that it was “a very proud moment.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also opined that he was proud of the partnership with Peacock. The executive also noted that he was thrilled with the results of the live stream, which was the first exclusive experience for an NFL playoff game.
“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,” Goodell said.
$110M Investment Was a Huge Payoff for Peacock
Peacock made a worthy investment by securing exclusive rights to the Chiefs vs. Dolphins game that aired on Saturday. Shortly before the game, Peacock shit up to the top of the app store as the search volumes doubled.
Peacock gained exclusive access to the Saturday night playoff game after making a $110 million investment in May. This investment saw the streaming platform secure rights to the primetime Wild Card Round fixture.
Peacock paid the NFL $110 million for the exclusive rights to last night’s playoff game.
As a result, they hit #1 overall on the app store, and their search volume on Google is currently 2x higher than at any other point in history.
The power of the NFL is unmatched. pic.twitter.com/aPObVKLK2M
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) January 14, 2024
Peacock secured the top position on Apple’s App Store. The search volume for this streaming platform on Google also doubled from its previous record. This indicates that the app amassed much popularity because of the hype around this game.
Peacock’s exclusive streaming rights were, therefore, justified. However, fans were left complaining after being forced to pay a huge subscription fee to access the playoff game.
Some viewers also complained of technical issues during the broadcast. Some fans also complained about the many times the camera cutaways to Taylor Swift in the glass stands.
