Congressman Fires Off Angry Letter To NBC And NFL Over “Bait-And-Switch BS” Exclusive Airing Of Wild Card Game On Peacock

Ted Johnson
·3 min read
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UPDATED, with NFL comment: A New York congressman fired off an angry letter to NBC Sports and NFL executives, complaining that the move of Saturday’s Chiefs vs. Dolphins wild card game to air exclusively on a subscription streaming service was a “bait-and-switch” being played on consumers.

The letter from Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) was sent to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NBC Sports president Rick Cordella.

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Ryan wrote on X/Twitter, “How much more profit do Goodell and NBC need to make at the expense of hard working Americans? I’m demanding @NFL and @NBCSports end this Peacock bait-and-switch BS and offer the Dolphins-Chiefs game on TV. Millions of loyal fans already pay for NBC. Let us watch the damn game!”

In the letter, Ryan wrote, “The NFL playoffs will begin tomorrow, and millions of fans are looking forward to kicking back and watching their favorite teams play. It’s a tradition as American as apple pie. For decades, NFL playoffs games have been widely available on national TV networks so that Americans can conveniently watch the playoffs at no additional cost.”

“Yet this year, you’ve decided to rip off fans by exclusively broadcasting tomorrow’s Chiefs vs. Dolphins wildcard game on Peacock. For the first time ever, fans will be forced to choose between signing up for yet another expensive streaming service or missing out on a major playoff game.”

Ryan called it a “disgrace,” arguing that fans were being double charged because they already pay to receive the NBC broadcast network through their cable subscriptions. He called on the NFL and NBC to air the game on broadcast TV and end exclusive streaming deals.

“Congress granted the NFL an antitrust exemption in its broadcast deals with the expectation that you wouldn’t use it to screw over fans. That was clearly a mistake,” he wrote.

The Peacock subscription plans start at $5.99 per month. The streamer’s plans to air the wild card game, a first, was announced at the NBCU upfront presentation last May. The Wall Street Journal reported that the network paid $110 million for the rights. Viewers in Miami and Kansas City will still be able to watch the game on their local NBC affiliates.

An NFL spokesperson said in a statement, “The NFL’s media strategy has been to make our games available in as many ways as possible to meet our fans where they spend their time. As streaming video becomes commonplace, we are increasingly expanding the digital distribution of NFL content while continuing a longstanding policy that all NFL games be shown on free, over-the-air television in the markets of the participating teams.”

The spokesperson noted that it is part of an ongoing migration to streaming.

“You saw this last year when Thursday Night Football moved to Amazon and again this year when Sunday Ticket launched on YouTube and YouTube TV. Bringing the excitement of a wild card game exclusively to Peacock’s streaming platform is consistent with this approach,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for NBC Sports did not return a request for comment.

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