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NFL slammed as ‘greedy’ for making playoff game exclusive to Peacock streaming platform

January 9, 2024 | | Print Article

Slammed as a “slap in the face” to fans, a playoff decision from the NFL was criticized by supporters and commentators alike as little more than a “greedy reach.”

(Video: BetRivers Network)

The close of the regular season brought with it the fully realized playoff picture as well as the definitive answer on which teams’ matchup would be tucked behind a paywall. Reacting to the seeding that would bring the Miami Dolphins to Arrowhead Stadium Saturday to face the Kansas City Chiefs in a wildcard contest, sports radio host Mike Francesa took aim at the NFL for restricting viewership to Peacock subscribers.

“This is a joke that the NFL would do this with their playoff product,” he said on his eponymous program, “The Mike Francesa Podcast,” Monday. “It’s bad enough they would do it with a regular season game on a Thursday night, or do it with a regular season game on a Saturday; but to do it with a playoff game is the biggest slap in the face to their national fanbase.”

“People wait all year for these playoff games. They love these playoff games; and you’re gonna now charge them extra for a playoff game? They don’t give enough? You don’t make enough?” asked Francesa.

The decision, ripped by the New York-based host, had been announced in May when, amidst their 11-year deal with NBCUniversal, the NFL announced a one-year contract with their streaming service Peacock that would grant them exclusive coverage of one wildcard game.

“We had our first season with Amazon [this past year] and I think that with the digital platforms, we’re ready for live sports at scale,” NFL executive vice president Hans Schroeder had said at the time. “And the next step is to step into the postseason.”

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“We like the plan that Peacock and NBC put together. In this case knowing we’re going to have a bigger audience and focused on having the widest reach possible across each platform,” he went on about the reportedly $110 million deal to air a single game.

Incredulous, Francesa asked, “Is this the wave of the future? They’re gonna have a hard time doing it with playoff games because there’s gonna be a tremendous fallout from this; and there should be because it is the utter, utterly disgraceful, greedy reach by the NFL.”

“Like they don’t make enough money!” he called out.

“Like their fans don’t go into their pocket for jerseys, for all kinds of NFL merchandise; for tickets that are very expensive across the country; they don’t show up and are there religiously every Sunday and now you’re gonna charge them for a playoff game?” the host went on. “It is the ultimate slap in the face to the best and most ardent and the most dramatically important fanbase in America.”

Francesa wasn’t alone in tearing into the league’s decision to force fans into subscriber for an entire month of Peacock just to watch one game as many even suggested it was grounds for a boycott.

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Kevin Haggerty
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