Peacock's Dolphins-Chiefs exclusive broadcast 'biggest live-streamed event in US history'
The worst has come to pass for traditional National Football League fans: The great Peacock exclusive-streaming NFL playoff game has been deemed a success off the overnight ratings.
According to a press release sent out Sunday night by Peacock and NBC Sports, the Dolphins-Chiefs Wild Card game was the "biggest live-streamed event in U.S. history and drives internet usage to single-day U.S. record." Thirty percent of internet users across the nation Saturday night were tuned into the game from frigid Arrowhead Stadium.
And here's more from the release: "The Game Reaches Nearly 28 Million Viewers, with Average Audience Peaking at Nearly 25 Million Viewers From 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET ... Dolphins-Chiefs Averages 23 Million Viewers – Most Streamed Event in U.S. History & Topping Last Year’s Saturday Primetime AFC Wild Card Game by 6%."
In case you were living in a cave for the last week, the only way to watch the Chiefs' 26-7 victory over the Dolphins - unless you were in the Miami and Kansas City television markets - was to fork over $5.99 (for the month) and watch it on Peacock. Many fans expressed anger and frustration about this but the NFL/Peacock gamble apparently paid off.
According to Sports Media Watch, the game drew 9.9 million viewers, less than the 30 million the wild-card games normally. And the Peacock viewership figures were based upon custom fast national live + same day data from Nielsen. Official national data for the Dolphins-Chiefs game will be available on Friday.
Needless to say, executives for NBC/Peacock and the NFL were giddy with excitement.
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“From NBC Sports and Peacock to the Comcast team, our entire company worked seamlessly to plan for this game and executed flawlessly to deliver a streaming experience with the NFL on a scale that’s never been done before. It’s a very proud moment,” said Brian Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league was "thrilled" with the results.
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“To best serve our fans," Goodell said, "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.”
The Dolphins-Chiefs delivered a 45.1/74 local rating/share on KSHB (NBC's Kansas City affiliate) and a 14.5/41 local rating/share on WTVJ (NBC Miami WTVJ Channel 6). The game was not shown on West Palm Beach's NBC affiliate, WPTV Channel 5.
Whether the appearance of Taylor Swift at the game was a factor in the ratings has not been decided.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Peacock's Dolphins-Chiefs exclusive broadcast 'biggest live-streamed event in US history'
