For shame NBC Sports! A loud, vociferous boo to you, NBC, for not televising putting Wednesday night’s de facto Premier League title game. If you want to watch it tomorrow afternoon here in the United States, you have to be a subscriber to the streaming service. Not just that, you also have to be subscriber to the premium version of NBC’s streaming service, known as Peacock Premium, in order to watch it.
It really should be on regular, over-the-air free tv on NBC, a game of this magnitude, but I get why logistics get in the way of that. After all, they can’t strangle their golden geese of The Kelly Clarkson Show or Daily Access with Kit & Mario can they? The suits at 30 Rock in Manhattan won’t stand for that.
Arsenal at Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Wed Apr. 26, 8pm, Etihad Stadium
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Team News: Arsenal Manchester City
Starting XI Predictions: Arsenal Manchester City
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 17% Manchester City 62% Draw 21%
PL Standing: Arsenal 1st, 75 pts 32 matches played Manchester City 2nd, 70 pts 30 matches played
PL Form: Arsenal DDDWW Manchester City WWWWW
However, at the absolute least, this match should be airing on their cable channel property USA Network. NBC Sports airs midweek daytime matches on USA Network all the time. There is one airing right now, as I write this, during the time slot in which Arsenal at Manchester City will commence tomorrow. So this isn’t a logistical issue.
Tomorrow, USA is doing an all-day, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” marathon, so that’s what we get to watch instead of the game- Dick Wolf’s “Back the Blue” propaganda series.
There is only one explanation here- greed. NBC Sports wants you to pay extra for the premium version of their streaming service. They don’t care that you already pay for cable, if you’re a cord cutter, for YouTube TV or some other paid subscription service that carries USA.
Honestly, NBC doesn’t even care if you already are a subscriber to Peacock, because even paying for that isn’t enough for you to watch the biggest game of the year.
So much for the cliche of “growing the game” that we incessantly hear about when it comes to soccer in America. While NBC Sports has certainly done their part, and then some, to help expand intertest in the beautiful game in the United States, this are making a massive mistake here. Bringing the Premier League TV rights to America was massive game-changer. They didn’t just air the games, they presented them like they would an American-based league.
I even agree with their decision to shutter NBC Sports Network; that was very astute of them.
Honestly, 24/7 sports networks only need to exist to air live games. Everything else is useless filler material that nobody watches. It’s kind of like how 24/7 news networks should not exist. They only need to be around on huge news days, like 9/11, Jan. 6, election nights etc. Otherwise they rot your brain.
So if you can consolidate, and focus on airing your matches/games etc. that you have the rights to, well, it’s a great position to be in. But it only works if you air all the matches, or at least the most important ones. If I’m the leadership of the Premier League, I’m livid right now at what NBC Sports decided to do here. If I were the PL, I would call them out right now, and I would tell them- “hey, maybe next time the broadcast rights are up for renewal, we go in a different direction.”
I’d be extremely angry if I were an exec with the two clubs themselves as well! Both Arsenal and Manchester City have huge, and I mean huge, followings in the States.
For the Peacock, this is a massive mistake! This greed first and foremost model of doing business is very bad for sports. The fans will ultimately not stand for it.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.