Peacock Lands First Streaming-Exclusive NFL Playoff Game

The NFL is taking another step into the streaming world: The league has granted Peacock the first streaming-exclusive playoff game.

The Peacock telecast is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Jan. 13, 2024, during the wild card round. It will mark the first time an NFL postseason game has been exclusive to a streaming platform for a national audience (in keeping with NFL policy for streaming games, local NFC affiliates in the competing teams’ home markets will carry the game over the air).

The Peacock game will make for an NBCUniversal doubleheader on that day, as NBC will air another wild card game at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT (which will stream concurrently on Peacock). NBC also has a third game in the wild card round set for Jan. 14, making NBCU the first company to present three NFL playoff games in a single weekend.

“We are thrilled to partner with the NFL on this industry milestone, bringing to Peacock the first ever exclusively live streamed NFL playoff game,” NBC Sports chairman Pete Bevacqua said in a statement. “With America’s No. 1 primetime show for a record 12 consecutive years, the terrific regular season Sunday Night Football schedule revealed last week, and today’s announcement, we can’t wait for the 2023 season to kick off.”

Peacock will also have an exclusive regular season game on Dec. 23, when the Los Angeles Chargers host the Buffalo Bills.

“We are excited to work with a great partner in Peacock to present the first-ever exclusively live streamed NFL playoff game this upcoming season,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vp and COO of NFL Media. “Expanding the digital distribution of NFL content while maintaining wide reach for our games continues to be a key priority for the league, and bringing the excitement of an NFL playoff game exclusively to Peacock’s streaming platform is the next step in that strategy.”

The NFL entered the streaming landscape in a big way last season when its primetime Thursday Night Football franchise moved from Fox to Amazon’s Prime Video. ESPN+ will also have an exclusive regular season game in the coming season’s fourth week.