Streaming the AFC Wild Card football game exclusively on Peacock was a huge success for the NFL, but it sucks for traditional TV consumers
Despite complaints from many football fans, the NFL's first-ever exclusively live-streamed playoff game, hosted on Peacock, has apparently set new records. The Kansas City Chiefs, led by two-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, triumphed over the Miami Dolphins with a score of 26-7, in what was the fourth-coldest NFL game ever recorded. This historic event took place in front of a crowd of over 71,000 fans, marking a significant milestone for both the NFL and Peacock.
The Peacock Exclusive AFC Wild Card Game reached a staggering 27.6 million total viewers, according to Nielsen data. The game peaked with 24.6 million viewers in the second quarter, and set a new U.S. record as the most-streamed event with an average audience of approximately 23.0 million viewers across various platforms. This surge in digital viewership represents a 6 percent increase from the previous year's primetime AFC Wild Card Game.