KC Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins Wild Card Game on Peacock Sets Streaming Record

Kansas City's first-round playoff game against Miami set a new high mark for streaming in the United States.

When it was announced that the Kansas City Chiefs' Wild Card playoff game against the Miami Dolphins would be streamed exclusively on Peacock, many were upset. While local markets in Kansas City and Miami were able to watch on NBC, things weren't as simple nationally. 

Despite the game requiring a subscription service to be viewed, however, it didn't stop too many folks from tuning in. The outing still drew a significant audience. 

Per a recent article from Yahoo, the Saturday night contest on Peacock was the most-streamed live event ever in the United States. Bringing in an average of approximately 23 million viewers and 16.3 million devices streaming at once, it doubled as a record for a single day in the history of Peacock:  

NBC said the game, which was streamed exclusively on Peacock, drew an average of about 23 million viewers Saturday night. It reached about 27.6 million viewers in total and peaked at more than 24.6 million in the second quarter. Saturday was also Peacock’s largest day in the service’s history. It set a record with 16.3 million concurrent devices streaming.

When the NFL and Peacock originally agreed to a whopping $110 million deal to broadcast a postseason game on the platform, it was unclear exactly how it'd be received. Reflecting on it now, it's safe to say that both sides should be proud of the viewership. Yahoo explains that the other playoff matchup from Saturday, a Houston Texans versus Cleveland Browns bout, averaged 29 million viewers on NBC. Considering the exclusive nature of Chiefs-Dolphins, that isn't a bad difference in television/streaming spectators.

With the first-ever playoff game broadcast solely on a streaming service in the books, it could be a glimpse into the future of watching major sporting events. Football is king, with 93 of the top 100 broadcast programs from 2023 being NFL games in the U.S. 

As companies like Peacock continue to grow their audiences, don't expect this to be the last huge event broadcast on a streaming platform. 

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