Can NBC make an NFL broadcast as dynamic and interactive as a videogame? The Comcast-backed media company will soon try.
NBC Sports plans to live-stream a match-up between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, December 21 on its Peacock broadband hub that will blend live action and videogame elements from EA Sports’ popular Madden NFL franchise, which has long aimed for realistic depictions of football action. The “alt-cast” will also feature player ratings and interactive data, just like the videogame does.
“This first-ever Madden NFL Cast marks a new milestone as Peacock’s first sports alt-cast,” said Fred Gaudelli, the executive producer of NFL for NBC Sports., Gaudelli worked for seven seasons with John Madden, the inspiration behind the game, and a legendary coach and analyst, during stints at both ABC and NBC.
NBC will join the ranks of sports-media outlets tinkering with tailored simulcasts of games they hope will draw broader audiences to their screens. NBC, like ESPN and CBS Sports, which have also experimented with “alt-casts,” is more conscious of the sky-high rights fees it pays for NFL broadcasts and sees potential value in expanding content related to them. NBC is counting on sports to fuel its future, as its parent company, Comcast, plans to spin off the bulk of its cable networks, while investing heavily in rights for the Olympics and a new tranche of NBA games. The company has worked to supply more exclusive sports events to Peacock, noting in the recent past that the games help boost subscriptions and can be used to promote entertainment fare to viewers.
Paramount Global earlier this year offered a separate broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII on the kid-centric Nickelodeon, complete with its own sportscasters, some separate TV commercials and the network’s signature green slime. ESPN, meanwhile, is tapping the Simpsons and signature characters from its parent company, Disney, for a “Monday Night Football” simulcast and an animated version of a Christmas Day NBA game.
The testing has only increased in recent years, particularly as sports leagues put pressure on their media partners to grow audience. ESPN aired a broadcast of an NHL match-up that used animated figures from “Big City Greens,” and in 2021 tested a game using Marvel characters that kids could play as they watched an NBA contest between the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans. An animated version of a Sunday-morning game between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars broadcast from Wembley Stadium in London last year utilized “Toy Story” characters such as Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep, Bullseye and Slinky Dog.
The Peacock live-stream will come with its own dedicated team of analysts. NBC Sports’ Paul Burmeister handling play-by-play, while former NFL quarterback and Madden NFL expert Kurt Benkert will use graphic overlays to predict play options. Chad Ochocinco, the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, will serve as a real-time player “ratings adjuster.” Henry Leverette, a championship Madden NFL player, will also take part in 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 NBC Sports’ incredible production to create an entirely new way to experience an NFL game on Peacock,” said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution, in a statement. “The Madden game franchise has had an indelible impact on generations of football fans and gamers alike, and we look forward to honoring that legacy with this unique broadcast of a crucial matchup with postseason implications.”
The Texans-Chiefs game will be presented in traditional fashion on NBA, Peacock and Universo. Execution of the Madden NFL broadcast will hinge on the weather, since visibility is required to create the simulation slated for Peacock.
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