Can NBC make an NFL broadcast as dynamic and interactive as a video game? The Comcast-backed media company will try it soon.
NBC Sports plans to live stream a game between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, December 21 on the Peacock broadband hub, which will combine live action and video game elements from EA Sports’ popular Madden NFL franchise , which has long focused on providing realistic depictions of football action. The “alt-cast” will also include player ratings and interactive data, just like the video game.
“This first-ever Madden NFL cast marks another milestone as Peacock’s first sports alt cast,” said Fred Gaudelli, the executive producer of NFL for NBC Sports. Gaudelli worked with John Madden, the inspiration behind the game, for seven seasons. and a legendary coach and analyst, during stints at both ABC and NBC.
NBC will join the ranks of sports media tinkering with customized simulcasts of games that they hope will draw broader audiences to their screens. NBC, like ESPN and CBS Sports, which have also experimented with “alt-casts,” is more aware of the sky-high rights fees it pays for NFL broadcasts and sees potential value in expanding content related to them. NBC is banking on sports to define its future as parent company Comcast plans to spin off most of its cable networks while investing heavily in the rights to the Olympics and a new slate of NBA games. The company has been working to bring more exclusive sporting events to Peacock, noting in the recent past that the games help increase subscriptions and can be used to promote entertainment awards to viewers.
Paramount Global offered a separate broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII on the kid-targeted Nickelodeon earlier this year, complete with in-house sportscasters, some quirky TV commercials and the network’s signature green slime. ESPN, meanwhile, is tapping the Simpsons and parent company Disney’s signature characters for a simulcast of “Monday Night Football” and an animated version of an NBA game on Christmas Day.
The number of tests has only increased in recent years, especially as sports leagues put pressure on their media partners to grow audiences. ESPN aired a broadcast of an NHL game that used animated “Big City Greens” figures, and in 2021 tested a game with Marvel characters that kids could play while watching an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans were watching. . An animated version of a Sunday morning game between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars, broadcast last year from Wembley Stadium in London, used “Toy Story” characters such as Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep, Bullseye and Slinky Dog.
The Peacock livestream comes with its own dedicated team of analysts. NBC Sports’ Paul Burmeister will handle play-by-play, while former NFL quarterback and Madden NFL expert Kurt Benkert will use graphic overlays to predict play options. Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco will serve as a real-time player ratings adjuster. Henry Leverette, a Madden NFL champion, will also join the production.
“We are constantly looking for exciting and innovative ways to present our game, and we are incredibly excited about the opportunity to bring together the Madden game, our Next Gen Stats platform and the incredible production of NBC Sports to create a creating a whole new way to experience a game. NFL game on Peacock,” Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution, said in a statement. “The Madden gaming franchise has had an indelible impact on generations of football fans and gamers, and we look forward to honoring that legacy with this unique broadcast of a pivotal game with implications for the postseason.”
The Texans-Chiefs game is presented in the traditional manner on NBA, Peacock and Universo. The performance of the Madden NFL broadcast will depend on the weather, as visibility is required to create the simulation for Peacock.