Chiefs-Dolphins Playoff Game on Peacock Sets Records for U.S. Streaming and Internet Usage
Game on NBCUniversal’s streaming service draws 23 million viewers, accounts for 30% of U.S. web traffic
The NFL playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins made history—and not just because it was so cold that one head coach’s mustache formed icicles.
The Wild Card game, which aired on the streaming service Peacock, was the most streamed U.S. event ever, drawing 23 million viewers, according to Comcast NBCUniversal, Peacock’s owner. It also was the largest event ever for internet usage in the U.S., accounting for 30% of web traffic, making Saturday the single highest day of U.S. internet usage in history.
Peacock had exclusive rights to the game, which the Chiefs won 26-7, except in the teams’ home markets, where it was available on local TV—marking the first time that most Americans had to stream a playoff game. For several years, the major networks have streamed their games, but not in place of a national telecast.
For comparison, NBC’s primetime Saturday matchup last year between the Jaguars and Chargers drew about 21 million viewers, according to Nielsen, while NBC’s Sunday telecast of a Bengals-Ravens game drew 27 million viewers. The high for last year’s Wild Card Weekend was Fox’s Giants-Vikings game, which averaged about 33 million viewers.
Livestreaming an event to a large number of people is among the most difficult tasks for media and internet companies. Peacock had to be prepared to handle a surge of signups, as millions of Americans likely discovered in the lead-up to the game that they needed access to the service to watch it. Peacock has already carried many major live programming events, including an NFL regular season game last month.
Comcast did not disclose how many subscribers Peacock gained on Saturday. The big challenge will be to retain as many new subscribers as possible after the NFL season is over.
Comcast, the largest U.S. internet provider, prepared for weeks to ensure the livestream wouldn’t have any technical problems, company executives said. It sought to ensure that other major providers responsible for ferrying internet traffic in the U.S.—such as AT&T, Cox and Charter—would be equally prepared for a usage surge.
The game avoided the fumbles that have plagued some other streaming services when they venture into large-scale live-streaming. When Netflix tried to stream its long-awaited “Love Is Blind” cast-reunion show last year, it experienced an issue with the livestream. Netflix filmed the show and released it after more than an hour’s delay.
Some fans grumbled that they’d have to pony up for a $5.99-per-month Peacock subscription to watch the Chiefs-Dolphins game. Others posted jokes on X about having to help their parents set up or access Peacock for the first time.
With 28 million subscribers as of Comcast’s last quarterly report, Peacock is relatively small compared to streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon. It has bet heavily on sports to build up its base and, in turn, draw attention to its entertainment offerings. In addition to the NFL, Peacock offers Big Ten college sports, English Premier League Soccer, golf and the Tour de France.
Those sports rights are costly, and are one reason Peacock was expected to lose $2.8 billion in 2023. Comcast executives have said they expect the losses to decline starting this year.
“Sports is a differentiator to us. Once you’re in, you are exposed to everything else,” NBC Sports President Rick Cordella recently told The Wall Street Journal, adding that sports can help keep subscribers from canceling. “Sports are sticky.”
Peacock expects to have more than 13,000 hours of sports content in 2024, including 4,000 hours of exclusive live sports. On Comcast’s most recent earnings call in October, Chief Executive Brian Roberts said, “We have the most live sports of any of the streaming services. And I believe that that’s a surprise to many people when they learn that.”
Joe Flint contributed to this article.
Write to Patience Haggin at patience.haggin@wsj.com