NEW YORK — Get ready to hear a lot of complaining during the playoffs next winter from longtime NFL fans.
Not just because a fan’s team might be losing, but one of the NFL postseason games won’t be available on ESPN, NBC or CBS during the NFL wild-card playoff round.
On Monday, the NFL announced Peacock will become the home to the first-ever exclusive live-streamed wild-card playoff game as it will air in prime time on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
“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,” NFL Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of NFL Media Hans Schroeder said.
“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.”
To the chagrin of many fans, watching sports on apps is the wave of the future. Last year, the NFL signed an $11 billion, 11-year deal to air “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon Prime Video, costing subscribers $14.99 per month or $139 per year. In addition to that, Amazon will also host the first NFL Black Friday game this year as the Dolphins will play at the Jets on Nov. 24 at 3 p.m.
Then last week, the NFL announced that Peacock would be the exclusive home of the Bills matchup against the Chargers on Dec. 23.
Streaming sports on apps has become the norm for other sports. Amazon will air 20 Yankees games during the 2023 season. Apple TV has exclusive MLB games every Friday night with a doubleheader slate which began last year.
MLS (Major League Soccer) has even joined the party as they announced a new broadcast agreement with Apple TV in February, reportedly worth an estimated $2.5 billion over 10 years.
Like it or not, the dinosaur days of watching sports on cable TV are over. People are cutting the cords these days as their viewing habits have changed.
The NFL and other sports have changed and it is time fans get on board or get left behind.
NFL says no vote on Commanders’ sale will happen at meetings next week
The pending sale of the Washington Commanders from longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family to investor Josh Harris will have to wait to be finalized at a later date.
During a conference call with the media on Thursday, Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy, said there would be no vote when league owners meet in Minneapolis next week.
“There will be an update to the membership on purchase and sale agreement, “Miller said. “League staff and finance committee will continue to review the transaction.”
Last Friday, Harris’ sale agreement to purchase the Commanders was finalized. Now the NFL and committee members will review the details of the agreements before owners vote on the sale. 24 of 32 NFL owners must approve before the deal can be official.
Harris’ purchase of the Commanders for $6.05 billion would be the largest in sports history. Last year, the Walton family agreed to buy the Denver Broncos reportedly for $4.65 billion.
The Harris ownership group will include businessman Mitchell Rales, former Laker and National Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, David Blitzer and others. Harris and Blitzer have co-owned the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers since 2011 and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils since 2013.
Snyder first bought the Washington franchise in 1999 after he bought it from he bought the team for a then-record $800 million following the death of previous owner Jack Kent Cooke.
Throughout his tenure as owner of the Washington franchise, Snyder said he would never sell the team despite controversies on and off the field.
Snyder also once said he would never change the Commanders’ previous nickname of “Redskins” despite it being considered racially insensitive and offensive terminology by some.
He finally changed the name after a threat of sponsorship revocation from companies, including FedEx.
Then there were allegations against Snyder and the Commanders after More than 40 women who worked for the Commanders alleged they were sexually harassed in the workplace by Snyder and other members, including executives. The NFL fined Snyder $10 million following an investigation in July 2021.
Former United States Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White is leading an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Snyder. Miller also said nothing has changed regarding Jo White’s investigation into Snyder, as the NFL would release the findings once she is done with her investigation, which began in February 2022.
Snyder’s resume as an owner hasn’t exactly fielded results on the field either after Washington won three Super Bowls before his arrival. Since 1999, Washington has a regular season record of 164–220–2, including a playoff record of 2-6.
While it might take some time Washington fans can finally rejoice as Snyder’s tenure as owner is coming to an end.
2026 Super Bowl
The league’s biggest game appears it will return to Santa Clara, Calif., in 2026.
According to the Sports Business Journal, NFL owners are expected to award the 2026 Super Bowl (Super Bowl LX) to Levi’s Stadium, home of the 49ers. This would be Levi’s Stadium’s second time hosting a Super Bowl.
The first and last time a Super Bowl was held in Levi’s Stadium was Super Bowl 50, where Von Miller won the MVP as the Broncos defeated the Panthers 24-10. The stadium was just two years old when it hosted the Super Bowl, as it was built in 2014.
Since then, Levi’s Stadium has hosted a College Football Playoff National Championship, Wrestlemania, and in 2026, it will be one of the venues for the FIFA World Cup.
With Levi’s Stadium expected to be named the host of Super Bowl LX, we now know the following three venues of the big game. Next season, Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, will host Super Bowl LVIII. In 2025, the Saints' stadium, Caesars Superdome, will host Super Bowl LIX.
