Looks Like You're FINALLY Going to be Able to Watch Philly Sports on Peacock
After what felt like an eternity, we finally get word that the NBC regional sports networks (RSNs) are going to be included in Peacock. First reported by The Wall Street Journal, that article is paywalled, so here’s the aggregation from Awful Announcing:
In a major play to modernize its local sports offerings, NBCUniversal will reportedly make its four NBC Sports regional networks available to Peacock subscribers in those local markets. Those networks include NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports California, NBC Sports Boston, and NBC Sports Philadelphia; home to high-profile teams like the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia Phillies.
Per the Wall Street Journal, Peacock could begin streaming these regional sports networks as soon as 2025, though the rollout could be delayed as details are ironed out. One potential plan that NBC executives are discussing is to make the networks available at an additional price through a Peacock add-on.
The big question is whether or not OUT OF MARKET fans can watch the Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers on Peacock. It does not appear to be the case, but we’ll see what NBC says when they reveal plan details hopefully soon. It looks as though this is going to be an opportunity for those within the Philadelphia DMA to stream the games on Peacock without needing NBC Sports Philadelphia through Comcast, FIOS, YouTube TV, or whatever you’re currently using now. If you’re one of those people who only watches sports on television and doesn’t need all of the other trash, like Real Housewives of (insert city here), then this is what you’ve been waiting for. You can drop your TV service and pay a little bit extra to stream the games on Peacock instead.
This has been a long time coming. I feel like we’ve been writing a version of this story for 2-3 years now. With the advent of streaming, there are different ways to get live sports to consumers. We’ve got NFL games on Amazon and baseball games on Apple TV. The entire MLS product moved off local television. And locally, the original offerings from NBC Sports Philadelphia have dwindled. You’ve got the games of course, plus pregame and postgame, but it’s basically Birds Huddle, the simulcast of 97.5 the Fanatic’s The Best Show Ever? and some random 30-minute shows interspersed with paid programming. Long gone are the days of Breakfast on Broad and Daily News Live, with Dave Spadaro telling Reuben Frank to shut his mouth.
Keep in mind, NBC has moved off some of their RSNs in recent years. NBC Sports Washington was sold to Caps and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis in 2022. NBC Sports Northwest was shut down a year prior. NBC Sports Chicago stopped broadcasting a couple of weeks ago. And as you know, the local ties are a lot more intricate. The Flyers and NBC Sports Philadelphia exist under the same ownership umbrella. The Phillies also have a 25% stake in NBCSP, which was hammered out in a 2014 deal worth $2.5 billion over 25 years. It gives the Phils that ownership stake and a portion of ad revenue. The Sixers are the one team not connected at the ownership level, and if you’re NBC/Comcast, you also have to balance the net positive from adding the RSNs to Peacock against the net negative of possibly losing Comcast TV subscribers who would cut the cord as a result.
You can read more about NBSCP in a story I did three years ago, titled “Thoughts on a Possible Sale of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Which Would be a Tricky and Complicated Process.”