Peacock's exclusive stream for Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game draws ire from players, fans
The NFL and NBCUniversal are drawing the ire of pro football fans and even one player because of a controversial streaming-only broadcast of Saturday night's Dolphins-Chiefs playoff opener.
Miami will face the reigning Super Bowl champions on Saturday at 8 p.m. in Kansas City in a game that will be available only via a historic Peacock stream for those outside the Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Kansas City television markets.
It will be the first NFL playoff game exclusively live-streamed and will feature a commercial-free fourth quarter.
Premium plans begin at $5.99 per month and the game will be part of Peacock Sports Pass, which allows restaurants, bars and other commercial venues to show the game.
While historic, the paywall-restricted broadcast has met a chilly reception as some bemoan the loss of access to the game through traditional methods.
More info: Want to watch Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game? You'll have to pay for a streaming service
NFL players react to exclusive Peacock stream
Us playing on peacock ONLY is insane I won’t lie.
— Charles Omenihu (@charless_94) January 8, 2024
On Sunday, Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu tweeted his displeasure over the restricted showing via his personal X account.
"Us playing on peacock ONLY is insane I won't lie," Omenihu said.
He expanded on his post and mentioned Peacock in a Tuesday post, stating "I want to see our Chiefs fans happy, hit me up I have an idea."
Columnist quotes Tom Petty over Dolphins-Chiefs Peacock stream
On Tuesday, Dion Lefler of The Wichita Eagle (Kansas) quoted legendary Floridian Tom Petty and his song "The Last DJ" to bemoan the financialization of formerly free network television broadcasts.
“As we celebrate mediocrity, all the boys upstairs want to see / How much you’ll pay for what you used to get for free.”
Lefler intertwined the rising cost of attending NFL games with the growing numbers of games featured on exclusive paid broadcasts, citing Amazon Prime's deal for "Thursday Night Football."
"I’m dating myself here, but I can remember when folks of ordinary means could afford to go to an NFL game once in a while. Now that the stands are filled with corporate execs and other assorted boojies, charging Average Joe to watch on TV is the inevitable next step," Lefler went on, using the slang term boojies, meaning elitist or snobbish.
Peacock exclusive Dolphins-Chiefs stream stirs fan ire
The NFL has developed a reputation for accessibility even without cable and streaming services in its more than century of existence.
It's currently the only sports league that presents all regular-season and postseason games on free, over-the-air television in local markets. Games can be watched via over-the-air network broadcast channels without a subscription.
More: Dolphins let Bills, AFC East and so much more slip from grasp | Habib
While many fans will have no issue forking over $5.99 to subscribe to Peacock, others have taken to social media to say they're not interested in going out of their way to watch the game.
"Is it a big deal? Probably not in the scope of a life, but as a Chiefs fan who lives out of state, it's very annoying," said Chiefs fan Roxie Brotsky in a public Facebook comment responding to Lefler's column.
"Life-altering, no, but disrespectful to fans, yes."
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Peacock exclusive stream Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game stirs fan anger
