House Dem writes to NFL blasting streaming-only playoff game

Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) blasted the NFL on Friday, demanding the league end its experiment of placing playoff games on streaming services only, instead of national broadcast television.

The wild-card match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins on Saturday will be broadcast on NBC’s streaming service Peacock and nowhere else. It will be available on broadcast television only for people who live in the Kansas City and Miami markets.

“How much more profit do Goodell and NBC need to make at the expense of hard working Americans?” Ryan said on X, formerly Twitter, referring to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “I’m demanding NFL and NBC Sports 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!”

NBC reportedly paid about $110 million for the deal, the first of its kind in football. Streaming-only games have become an increasingly common part of NFL, with Amazon taking over exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football” last year for its Prime video service.

Fans who wish to watch Saturday’s game will have to sign up for Peacock, which starts at about $6 per month.

“It’s a disgrace. Fans already face exorbitant prices to watch every game during the regular season; they don’t deserve to be squeezed even further by greedy corporations,” Ryan wrote in a letter included in the X post. “This bait-and-switch is particularly egregious for consumers who already pay for NBC as part of their cable package.”

“Enough is enough,” he continued. “The NFL raked in $12 billion in 2022, while NBCUniversal made nearly $40 billion. It’s time we put power back where it belongs: with the fans.”