NBC exclusively aired Saturday’s wild card matchup of Kansas City and Miami on Peacock. This marked the first time an NFL playoff game was shown in this manner. Despite the disappointment it caused, this may be the start of networks making fans pay to watch big games. The first quarter was partially shown on NBC, but anyone who hadn’t subscribed to Peacock by 8:30pm ET was unable to watch the game. The NFL and NBC heavily promoted this as an exclusive game for Peacock, and it’s likely that similar exclusivity will happen in the future. Audiences complained but ultimately paid the price. The transition to exclusive streaming services for games might continue in the future, as this move was clearly a money-making opportunity for the major network. With the NFL’s strong influence on society, it’s likely that this trend will continue, and fans may soon have to pay to watch individual games each week.