Another big NFL game will be a streaming exclusive. NBCUniversal and the league announced Monday ahead of NBC’s upfronts that its Peacock streaming service will exclusively broadcast a Week 17 game in primetime on Saturday, Dec. 27, with the specific matchup there “selected from a pool of key NFL Week 17 Saturday matchups” closer to the date:
“Peacock Holiday Exclusive” Week 17 @NFL Game to Stream Live in Primetime on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025
Details:https://t.co/W9jdYT6rIb
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) May 12, 2025
Here are some quotes on that from NBC Sports’ release:
“We are excited to present the Week 17 Peacock Holiday Exclusive in a Saturday night showcase, as Peacock continues to deliver the best in sports streaming,” said Rick Cordella, President, NBC Sports. “With Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock one night later, we look forward to a pair of primetime games that impact the playoff races.”
“We are incredibly excited about what we have accomplished with NBC to establish Peacock as a key home for the NFL for our fans, and we are thrilled to build on that partnership in 2025 with a primetime Week 17 matchup in the run to the playoffs,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL Executive Vice President of Media Distribution.
This announcement is part of the general rollout of the upcoming NFL schedule, and it’s just the latest sports emphasis for Peacock. That direct-to-consumer service has broadcast three exclusive NFL games before (frequently to chagrin from older media members in particular), including a Week 16 game in 2023, a playoff game in January 2024, and the kickoff game from Brazil last season. It’s also a key part of NBC’s deals for Notre Dame football, the Big Ten, the NBA, the Premier League, and much more, and it now offers an add-on option for the company’s remaining regional sports networks.
While Peacock was initially envisioned as more focused on entertainment than sports around its 2020 launch, it’s become crucial to NBCUniversal’s sports strategy. A desire to emphasize Peacock was a key part of their 2021 shuttering of NBCSN. And NBC parent Comcast is betting sports will be key to the service’s growth, although recent Peacock financials indicate there’s a long way to go there. Another exclusive NFL game there, especially one that will likely have playoff implications, will certainly draw attention and subscribers, but probably also some more media criticism.