Andy Reid’s frozen moustache in Chiefs win is now part of NFL playoff history with huge streaming numbers

Andy Reid’s frozen moustache was part of the most-streamed live event in United States history.

Many NFL fans complained about the league’s controversial decision to exclusively stream an AFC Wild Card game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs on Peacock, a pay streaming service.

Icicles were forming on coach Reid’s moustache in the freezing cold temperatures

Even NBA analyst Charles Barkley ripped the NFL for the decision.

“They’re just being greedy pigs,” Barkley said. “I’m glad some NFL players are taking some shots at them. I know the NFL is the biggest thing in the world.

“To put this game on Peacock and make people have to buy Peacock, that’s just low class, man. I’m disgusted.”

But with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce on the field, and Taylor Swift watching from the stands, the NFL eventually got what it wanted with huge streaming numbers that could lead to more playoff games appearing on streaming services in the future.

While Reid’s moustache froze during the fourth-coldest game in NFL history, the league produced the largest internet event ever with users consuming 30 percent of internet traffic during the game, according to a press release.

“We couldn’t be prouder of our partnership with Peacock and are thrilled with the results of the first-ever exclusively live streamed NFL playoff game,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “To best serve our fans, we need to ensure games are available to them as their viewing habits change and this includes digital distribution as we continue to help shape the future of the sports and entertainment industry.”

The first-ever exclusively live streamed NFL playoff game drew in new users, which is exactly what the league and NBC/Peacock wanted.

Dolphins vs Chiefs reached 27.6 million total viewers, according to Nielsen.

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce got Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid the perfect Christmas gift for ‘Big Red’
The game peaked at an average of 24.6m viewers in the second quarter.

The big numbers topped last season’s Wild Card game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars, which drew 20.8m viewers, by six percent.

The previous record for a streaming event in the U.S. was about 15 million for a Cowboys-Seattle Seahawks game shown on Amazon Prime.

Still, many fans complained about having to pay extra to watch a playoff game, and Barkley proclaimed that he would boycott the stream.

“They sold the game for $110 million,” he said. “And I know that’s a lot of money. But the NFL, they’re making $20 billion a year. To screw your fans like that, it’s just not cool man, at all.”

He added: “They don’t care about the fans. That’s just low class, man. That’s just greedy. That’s just flat out greedy. And I’m disappointed in the NFL.”

The NFL won again and it won’t be a surprise to see more streaming exclusives in the near future.