Oct 12, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Recording artist Taylor Swift watches play against the Los Angeles Chargers during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
NBCNFLPeacockStreamingBy Andrew Bucholtz on

Since the May announcement that one NFL playoff game this season would air exclusively on NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock, speculation loomed about just what that game would be. There were theories ranging from it being the least desirable matchup to one of the best to something in the middle. And now we have the answer, with it being the Kansas City Chiefs-Miami Dolphins clash (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET), and with that leading to some conspiracy theories about the NFL picking it thanks to Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce’s relationship with music superstar Taylor Swift. Here are some of those, which started even before this game was announced and continued from there:

Of course, this isn’t necessarily entirely about Swift. Before this matchup was announced, there was a lot of debate about whether the Peacock game would be the least desirable one (the NFL likes to maximize audience whenever possible, and streaming service-exclusive games (including the Peacock regular season one this year) tend to have lower audience numbers than linear broadcasts), the most desirable one (NBCU is paying $110 million for this game on a one-year deal, and good audience numbers here could lead to a streaming service bidding war for the equivalent playoff game next year), or something in between.

This looks to have landed towards the high end of that spectrum. The Green Bay Packers-Dallas Cowboys game (Sunday afternoon on Fox) is probably the most desirable based on markets and teams, but the Pittsburgh Steelers-Buffalo Bills game (earlier Sunday on CBS) is probably similarly attractive to networks as Chiefs-Dolphins. The other matchups are probably somewhat or quite a ways (Cleveland Browns-Houston Texans) below Chiefs-Dolphins. So this is the NFL giving Peacock a game that would be a pretty good matchup even without the Swift factor.

But there is a Swift factor. The Chiefs have drawn many excellent ratings this year, including the best Christmas Day NFL rating since 1989. And while that’s not entirely about Swift, some of it (specifically, boosts in various demographics, such as females aged 12-17) does seem attributable to her presence. There’s certainly been increased interest in the NFL from many of Swift’s fans as a result of this relationship.

And that’s a big part of why networks continue to show Swift frequently during games she’s attending despite criticism. (It may be a good thing that Al Michaels isn’t calling this game, although the strained relationship there reportedly was not really about Swift.) And, perhaps even more importantly, the diehard Swift fans who particularly want to watch these games because of her have a particularly-important attribute for content on pay streaming services. That would be “diehard.”

A key factor in what particularly works on paid streaming services is how eager people are for the content. That can be a large group (Amazon and Thursday Night Football) or a smaller group (more niche products, such as UEFA Champions League or Serie A soccer on Paramount+ or some of FloSports’ various offerings), but passion is important. An “Eh, I’ll watch” person might tune in if they already have access to the content (part of why broadcast network deals are making a comeback), but probably won’t buy a service they don’t already have (Peacock starts at $6 a month for its ad-supported tier). A diehard fan might. And regardless of if that person is a diehard fan of Swift, the Chiefs, or the Dolphins, their money spends just the same.

Was that explicitly factored into the decision to put this particular game on Peacock? Not necessarily. There’s a lot that goes into NFL scheduling, and Swift is just one factor around the Chiefs. But regardless of if that was part of how this game became the Peacock game, that feels like something that will work out well for NBCUniversal. (It of course isn’t confirmed yet that she’ll be in attendance, as, like Kelce, she does have notable other responsibilities. But the next leg of her current tour doesn’t start until February, so it feels like there’s a solid chance she’ll be there.)

But it is certainly annoying for many fans that this will be on a paid streaming service (outside the local markets of the teams, where it will air on broadcast networks) rather than linear TV. And the complaints are to be expected; they showed up around Peacock’s exclusive regular season game (Bills-Los Angeles Chargers). And they’re even more prominent for a playoff game that more people want to watch.

As with everything around Swift and the NFL, it makes no sense to blame her. She’s not deciding where this game goes, and probably would prefer it didn’t work out this way so she didn’t have to deal with these complaints). But if she does attend, she will be a factor in how many people wind up watching the game. And that will likely boost Peacock and the NFL. Just to what extent remains to be seen, but Peacock executives are certainly not going to be unhappy about broadcasting a game that might feature Swift.

 

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.

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