Could Notre Dame-Navy Become a Peacock Exclusive?

Notre Dame will stream a game on Peacock exclusively for the fourth straight year. The game against Boise State earned the honor (or dishonor) of relegation to the streaming service. One can argue for keeping the game on NBC or sending it to streaming. Boise State deserves a spot on NBC due to its illustrious record of success and appearance in the College Football Playoff last year. On the other hand, casual fans may see their Group of Five status and prefer NBC push the Boise State game to Peacock rather than games against Power Four also-rans like NC State or 1-11 Purdue.

Naturally, this begs the question, "Will NBC ever send Notre Dame-Navy to Peacock?"

Peacock needs subscribers badly. The streamer reported a $372 million loss after Quarter Four of fiscal year 2024. After streaming two MAC games and a Mountain West game from 2021 to 2023, the streamer got more aggressive in its selection last year when it streamed Notre Dame's much-anticipated rematch with Louisville. This move implies a more aggressive push for subscribers than in prior years.

This season, Peacock takes the same approach with the Boise State game. While Boise State is a marquee game that will drive subscribers, it is not as paramount as the USC or Ohio State game in 2023 to spark outrage. One has to wonder whether Notre Dame-Navy is untouchable as well.

Believe it or not, Notre Dame-Navy has had a network TV slot every year since 1992. Not even rivalries such as Alabama-Auburn, Florida State-Florida, or Notre Dame-Stanford can boast. However, Notre Dame-Navy may lose its sacred spot on network TV. Last season, Notre Dame-Navy was a "six-day selection" for ABC's noon ET slot on October 26th alongside Oklahoma-Ole Miss.

This meant that ESPN would designate the broadcast windows depending on the result of Notre Dame, Navy, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss' games on October 19th, despite Notre Dame and Navy's status as national programs and the Midshipmen's undefeated 6-0 record. ESPN's focus on the SEC and its acquisition of Navy's home games in the series from CBS contribute to this broadcasting environment. An off-year by either program could break the rivalry's network TV streak.

If ESPN pulls the trigger to send Notre Dame-Navy to cable, it makes a move to Peacock easier for NBC. However, Notre Dame-Navy still has some pull in some years. The table below shows this:

Notre Dame-Navy is in that dangerous middle ground where it is marquee enough to draw subscribers to Peacock but not sacred enough to stay on NBC. Navy has ties to more fans nationwide than Boise State or Louisville. Yet, Notre Dame-Navy seems like a formality to most college football fans due to the rivalry's lopsided nature.

Moving Notre Dame-Navy to streaming would upset Naval Academy grads and Navy veterans, but several would still subscribe to Peacock to catch the rivalry. On the other hand, college football fans would not mind the decision and still be open to doing business with Peacock, rather than if the network aired one of Notre Dame's more marquee games against Texas A&M or USC.

Streaming exclusives are a funny game for Peacock. NBC must distinguish between allure and outrage when assigning these games. NBC's moves of Boise State and Louisville to Peacock imply that a game such as Notre Dame-Navy is open game for streaming, but the potential response could determine if NBC does it twice.