If you’re a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs or Taylor Swift, you will have to pay up to watch the team’s Wild Card game this upcoming Saturday.
On Sunday, the NFL released its playoff schedule for Wild Card weekend, set to begin on January 13. While — at the time of this article’s publication — the Chiefs had yet to learn their opponent, it was announced that Kansas City would be slotted into the 8 p.m. ET time slot on Saturday.
Unfortunately for fans of either the Chiefs or Swift — who is dating Kansas City’s star tight end Travis Kelce — the game will be streaming behind a paywall on Peacock. If you’re in the Kansas City area, the game will reportedly be on local television, but considering Swifties across the world could be tuning in, many of them will have to pay up to watch the game.
#NFL playoff schedule…. pic.twitter.com/nvvHrmPCOy
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) January 8, 2024
Now, it could just be random coincidence that the Chiefs playoff game is the only one set behind a paywall. After all, someone was going to draw the short straw here. But for a league as business savvy as the NFL, it only makes sense that the league would leverage Swifties and their incredible power as a fandom to make some more money on Wild Card weekend.
Once the news was revealed, football fans couldn’t help but make jokes about the NFL using Swifties to make more money with the Chiefs playoff game streaming exclusively on Peacock.
Roger Goodell making all the Swifties pay for Peacock on Saturday night is a power move pic.twitter.com/kIrtzG1Il5
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 8, 2024
When you know Swifties will buy the Peacock app to keep track of Taylor next Saturday night, Peacock will make a ton of money which will then eventually be funneled right back into the NFL during the next TV negotiation. pic.twitter.com/bPfUfCIEB2
— Joe Kinsey (@JoeKinseyexp) January 8, 2024
Peacock to Taylor Swift like: pic.twitter.com/9fCgTICt7U
— Alex Plinck🏳️🌈 (@aplinckTX) January 8, 2024
Selena telling Taylor the Chiefs playoff game is on Peacockpic.twitter.com/McQeksGOZD
— Bill Ari (@ImBillRay) January 8, 2024
100% reason they put the Chiefs 1st round on Peacock only is so they can get the Swifties to pay for the subscription.
— CFB Home (@CFBHome) January 8, 2024
Making the Swifties pay for Peacock is ELITE business decision making
— Scoops (@ejmaroun) January 8, 2024
I'm not sure if it was the NFL or Peacock that chose to put the Chiefs in that slot, but paywalling the Swifties is a ruthlessly savvy marketing move
— Jared Smith (@jaredleesmith) January 8, 2024
NFL cutthroat making the Swifties subscribe to Peacock https://t.co/HEJwcqiU9P
— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) January 8, 2024
nfl/nbc putting kc on peacock solely to get swifties to subscribe is not at all subtle https://t.co/4BeYIjxu0y
— Corey Gloor (@CoreyGloor) January 8, 2024
