The NFL’s Wild Card game that exclusively aired on Peacock in January generated strong reactions across the board, but the venture was ultimately a success for the NFL and NBC.
One firm, Antenna, initially estimated that 2.8 million people signed up for Peacock to watch the game, eventually revising that number up to three million.
But how many of those subscribers were still giving Peacock their money after the Wild Card game?
Antenna estimates that 71% of those three million, or roughly 2.1 million, stuck around through at least the end of February, with 29% canceling their subscriptions.
Notably, that 71% is actually lower than Peacock’s one-month survival rate in 2023, which sat at 78%. So while the Dolphins-Chiefs Wild Card game generated an eye-watering amount of subscriptions, it also lost a higher share of subscriptions after a month than people who signed up for the service in 2023.
Antenna also had some data for Paramount+, which streamed Super Bowl LVII in February. Antenna estimates that the service attracted 3.4 million new subscribers for the game, though 2.3 million of those took advantage of a free trial. 65% of the overall total, or around 2.2 million, either kept their subscription or converted their trial to a paid subscription after a month. The Paramount+ data does not include signups through iTunes.
Ultimately, both the exclusive Wild Card game and the Super Bowl ended up being a boon for both streaming services. But given that NBC paid an estimated $110 million for the Peacock-exclusive Wild Card game, the company will need those remaining subscriptions to stick around a whole lot longer than a month to offset that cost.
[Antenna]
