“You’ve decided to rip off fans by exclusively broadcasting tomorrow’s Chiefs vs. Dolphins wild-card game on Peacock. For the first time ever, fans will be forced to choose between signing up for yet another expensive streaming service or missing out on a major playoff game.”
That was a part of a letter that Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) wrote to the leaders on the NFL and NBC Sports lamenting that an NFL playoff recreation might be obtainable by means of steaming just for the primary time this weekend.
“How much more profit do Goodell and NBC need to make at the expense of hard working Americans?” Ryan’s letter went on to ask.
He additionally wrote: “Congress granted the NFL an antitrust exemption in its broadcast deals with the expectation that you wouldn’t use it to screw over fans. That was clearly a mistake.”
Peacock, a streaming service operated by Comcast’s
CMCSA,
NBCUniversal, is one among a number of streaming platforms that now broadcast NFL video games. Some of these providers, like Amazon’s
AMZN,
Prime Video, have unique rights to sure video games, which means there is no such thing as a different choice to look at on community or cable tv, or by means of a cord-cutting stay TV subscription. But whereas there have been NFL video games obtainable solely by means of streaming earlier than, by no means earlier than has it been a high-stakes playoff recreation.
Part of the explanation that Ryan, in addition to many NFL followers, are upset concerning the Chiefs-Dolphins recreation being obtainable completely on Peacock is that it’s been getting dearer to look at NFL video games lately — as a result of, more and more, video games should not on community TV. In reality, the value to look at each NFL recreation this season for cord-cutters was $1,603, not together with the price of web service.
That monetary dedication contains the associated fee for six streaming providers and 5 username and password mixtures. Those digital streaming providers embody Google’s
GOOG,
GOOGL,
YouTube TV, NFL Sunday Ticket, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, NFL+ and ESPN+
DIS,
And the NFL is reaping the rewards: 10 years in the past, NFL video games have been solely proven on 4 cable networks. In 2010, the league made about $3 billion from its TV offers. But by means of all of its broadcast offers at this time with each networks and streaming firms, it makes roughly $10 billion a 12 months.
Peacock has two plans: a $5.99-per-month subscription with advertisements, and one other for $11.99 a month that’s ad-free. While followers who stay within the native broadcast areas of the place the groups play (round Kansas City and Miami, on this case) can have the flexibility to look at the sport on native TV, the remainder of the nation should pay for Peacock. According to the Wall Street Journal, NBC paid $110 million for Peacock’s unique NFL broadcast rights.
Many followers additionally took to social media to vent their frustrations about having to purchase one other streaming service to look at an NFL recreation this weekend.
Responding to the backlash, an NFL spokesperson mentioned in a press release: “The NFL’s media strategy has been to make our games available in as many ways as possible to meet our fans where they spend their time. As streaming video becomes commonplace, we are increasingly expanding the digital distribution of NFL content while continuing a longstanding policy that all NFL games be shown on free, over-the-air television in the markets of the participating teams.”
NBCUniversal didn’t reply to MarketWatch’s request for remark.
Clermont, Fla., resident Calicia Landry, 53, has been a Dolphins fan for many years. Her household even had season tickets throughout the historic 1972 season when the Dolphins went undefeated, the primary and solely time that has occurred in NFL historical past.
When requested if she can pay for Peacock to look at the sport, Landry informed MarketWatch that regardless of costing solely $5, “it’s the principle now.”
“I bought NFL Sunday Ticket already. I already pay for television service with DirecTV, I had to have Prime to watch the Black Friday game,” she mentioned. “It’s too much.”
See additionally: Here’s how a lot the key streaming providers are set to price are all the value will increase
Source web site: www.marketwatch.com
