Peacock Taps Allen Iverson to Sell Streaming to Sports Fans

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Streaming fans may associate NBC’s Peacock with original shows like “Poker Face” or a place to watch “Saturday Night Live” when one lacks a cable subscription.

But the hub’s backers would like people to consider it along with live sports ranging from Premier League soccer to IndyCar racing.

Viewers of an NBC Sports Thursday telecast of an NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs will see a new ad starring NBA great Allen Iverson — or “A.I.,” as he’s called in the spot — who helps people understand that “Peacock has the most live sports of any streamer.” “As the fall sports season ramps up on Peacock with the NFL, Big Ten, Premier League and so much more, it was the perfect time to remind audiences that Peacock is a must-have for sports fans,” said Jo Fox, Senior Vice President of Content & Consumer Marketing, Peacock. “In this campaign, we wanted to playfully tap into the ‘A.I.’ cultural phenomenon and Allen was a fantastic partner in bringing this message to life.” The streaming wars have largely been fought on the backs of dazzling new movies and scripted series like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Orange Is The New Black” or “The Mandalorian.” Increasingly, however, sports are being drawn into the battle.

NBCUniversal has assembled a portfolio of digital sports rights that include Sunday-morning Major League Baseball games, WWE cards and, this season, one NFL regular-season game and a Wild Card playoff game.