The NFL’s decision to broadcast the Chiefs-Dolphins wild card game exclusively on Peacock — which requires viewers to pay for a subscription — has received additional backlash ahead of the game, with Rep. Pat Ryan (N.Y.) blasting the NFL and NBC in a letter addressed to commissioner Roger Goodell and NBC Sports president Rick Cordella.
“It’s a disgrace,” Ryan wrote in the letter. “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.
“This bait-and-switch is particularly egregious for consumers who already pay for NBC as part of their cable package. Since Peacock is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, this exclusive deal essentially double-charges loyal fans to watch games they thought they had already paid for.”
In a subsequent post on X, Ryan called the decision — worth $110 million — “BS” and asked for the league and the network to “let us watch the damn game.”
Cordella told The Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel earlier this week that it’s “not a pay-per-view.”
“It’s more or less, get them in the door with football, and expose them to the library, which we think is one of the best — if not the best — in streaming,” Cordella told Glasspiegel. “It’s a lot more than just this football game.”
But Ryan, a Democrat in the House of Representatives who represents New York’s 18th District, blasted Goodell and Cordella as they “rip off fans.”
“Enough is enough,” Ryan wrote in his letter. “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.
“The NFL and NBC must make this right. I’m requesting that you offer the game on broadcast television, end the exclusive and exploitative streaming deals for good, and commit to making games more affordable and accessible for fans to watch throughout the season.”
Former U.S. presidential and New York mayoral candidate Andrew Yang also contributed his thoughts about the Peacock broadcast Friday, posting on X that “if I were President you would never have to download Peacock to watch an NFL playoff game.”
The NFL broadcast the Bills-Chargers game exclusively on the streaming service in December, and similar to that game, viewers in the local Miami and Kansas City markets can watch the game on NBC.
Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu called the Peacock broadcast setup “insane,” too.
He offered fans subscriptions to the service to watch the game.
Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa will meet for the second time this season, while Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill will return to Arrowhead Stadium for the first time since his trade to Miami.