It’s not going to be easy to be a fan for Friday’s Eagles-Packers game.
The teams’ season-opening matchup from Sao Paolo’s NeoQuimica Arena comes with several factors that could hinder fans who want to follow the NFL’s first foray into South America.
One stems from the fact that NBC’s coverage of the game outside of the Philadelphia and Green Bay markets will be limited to Peacock, the streaming app that caused plenty of consternation among fans last season when it was the only way to watch the Chiefs and Dolphins in last year’s AFC wild-card game.
While the playoff matchup attracted 23 million viewers — “most-streamed live event in US history” per NBC — its numbers fell short of other games on broadcast TV that same weekend.
Whether fans will want to sign up for the $5.99 per month app, possibly again, remains to be seen.
What may further drive update-starved fans mad is Brazil’s recent ban on social media platform X, which remains a go-to for many in the media for sharing game news.
Reporters and fans on the scene in Brazil for the NFL’s first foray into South America won’t be able to post live updates on the platform after it was banned over a refusal to curtail misinformation and did not appoint a legal representative in the country.
And those caught trying to subvert the ban with a VPN face a fine of 50,000 reais — or $8,900.
That means a second-screen experience — or, thanks to Peacock’s exclusive stream, single-screen — could look a lot different, with some reporters turning to Threads, Instagram, YouTube or possibly even fringe social media networks like Mastodon and Bluesky.
Outlets, like the Philadelphia Inquirer, will focus more on live blog updates their reporters can contribute to, while stateside-run X accounts will be going, as well.
Still, those looking for updates from their preferred beat writers in Brazil may be left wanting.
“It’s had an impact,” WIP’s Eliot Shorr-Parks told Front Office Sports. “I’m doing the same work, but it isn’t reaching the same audience. It’s the biggest week of the year and an incredibly unique experience. The biggest part of my job is connecting to fans and with Twitter gone I’ve lost a big portion of being able to do that.”
For fans, it may be worth investigating some options ahead of the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.
