The relationship between the NFL and streaming platforms is once again under the radar of National Radio Hall of Famer and ESPN contributor Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.
During a regular appearance on ESPN’s “First Take,” Russo spoke about the league’s decision to broadcast the historic game in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on the Peacock streaming service. The season opener is scheduled to be held on September 6th, and will be the first NFL game to be played in Brazil.
The league previously announced that the Philadelphia Eagles would travel to Brazil for a game against a yet-to-be-disclosed team.
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February 6, 2024. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Chris Russo, who appears on SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio, is installed in the radio row of the Super Bowl 58 Media Center at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
“So the Eagle fans who are desperate to go to the rink (Lincoln Financial Field) to see a game and spend a lot of money to do that, they’re not going to fly to Brazil. They might not have a Peacock. No,” Russo began. . “So he’s going to miss the first game of the year so the NFL can make more money? I mean, really. I mean, it’s bad enough that they’re on Amazon.
“It’s bad enough that they play in Europe. It’s bad enough that they throw in an extra million teams. And they’re going to play an Amazon playoff game again this year. That’s what drives me crazy. They’re going to play their first opener of the year away.” Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo at Peacock?
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Russo also expressed that he has no interest in finding a streaming service and becoming a subscriber.
“It’s hard to get the Peacocks. I don’t want the Peacocks! I want to watch a normal game. Give me (Joe) Buck and (Troy) Aikman. Give me the CBS staff. (Tom) Brady will do it. “Give me something. Don’t put the Eagles 9,000 miles away and put them on your Peacock cable show.” NBC needs to subscribe so they can make more money.”
The Eagles are expected to forgo home games in exchange for playing at Corinthians Arena in Brazil for the start of the NFL’s 2024 season. In preparation for the game in Sao Paulo, Philadelphia’s scheduled home games against the Green Bay Packers or Cleveland Browns are likely to be canceled.
Chris Russo attends Super Bowl LVII on SiriusXM on February 9, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images, SiriusXM)
While Russo isn’t thrilled with the idea of the highly anticipated game coming to a streaming service, NBC Sports leaders expressed excitement at the opportunity to showcase the historic contest.
“As part of NBC Sports’ unprecedented initiative to air three prime-time games during the NFL’s opening weekend, the Peacocks will be the first in Brazil to exclusively broadcast regular season games in NFL history,” NBC Sports President Rick Cordella said in a press release. We are excited to introduce it to the public,” he said in a press release.
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Earlier this year, the NFL made the wild-card round playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins available exclusively on Peacock, a streaming service owned by NBCUniversal, much to Russo’s displeasure.
“Their answer is: ‘Young viewers. We’re all doing some kind of research that shows they’re going to stream. And this year’s Dolphins vs. Chiefs game, young viewers. Audience attendance was great, so essentially our business model has to shift to streaming as well.’ Now, wait a minute,’ Russo said on ‘First Take.’
Chiefs player Charles Omenihu also appeared to object to the game being available only on streaming services. “Playing exclusively on Peacock is insane. I’m not going to lie,” the defenseman wrote in January on Company X, formerly known as Twitter.
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