Much has been made over the National Football League’s decision to immerse themselves in the streaming world. Things truly came to a head this past weekend when the NFL exclusively aired a playoff game on Peacock.
That decision was met with some significant backlash from critics. Fans let their voices be heard during the game. It didn’t stop there, as NBC’s back-pat over the success received criticism also.
While some of this is probably unfounded, it hasn’t stopped the discussion. It’s only moved since. Now, the TV world is talking. Fubo CEO David Gandler voiced his own frustrations and concerns over the move in a recent interview with The Streamable. Gandler noted that he was “horrified” about the decision to air the game on Peacock.
Fubo pays to air NBC presumably with the understanding that that deal would include the rights to any NBC NFL games. When Comcast yanked a playoff game to promote its streamer, its broadcast partners had to be seeing red. But Gandler said the tactic isn’t just frustrating for businesses. “When I think about the Peacock siutation from a consumer perspective, it’s sad to see, Gandler said.
The CEO took the complaint a step further, suggesting the FTC needs to look into the issue as a matter of consumer protection. “People are paying for much of the same content several times,” Gandler said. Peacock does feature many programs that people may have already paid for with their live TV package. Paramount+ is another streamer that bolsters its library with a lot of duplicated titles from live TV channels.
Gandler’s concerns over the NFL and how it’s maneuvered with its broadcasting partners aren’t a new thing this year. If Fubo is unhappy with how things are, then they will be added to the list. The league’s partners were reportedly “furious” over the way the league and ABC handled the ‘Monday Night Football’ simulcasts this year amid carriage disputes the network was simultaneously solving. The cable companies were also unhappy with this decision.
On the flip side, from Peacock’s perspective, this has all gone according to plan. Viewership for the playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins was enormous for a streamer. Despite claims that the league “lost out” on potential viewership, they obviously earned a hefty figure by working out the deal with Peacock. It also presents proof of concept for other streaming companies like Amazon and Apple. So, in other words, Fubo and other competitors might have more to deal with in the future if the industry examines this and determines that they should also pursue these ventures.
It’s a challenging world and industry to navigate. While the consumer is definitely paying for it right now, in more ways than one, this is simply the way now. Adaptation likely comes next.
