ComCast CFO: NBA increases the operating costs of the peacocks

Erik Gruenwedel

May 16, 2025

NBCuniversal will set its upcoming NBA sales agreement to advance the NBC sports and peacock viewers in the next 11 years from autumn.

The agreement will also increase the operating costs of the peacocks, which, according to Comcast CFO Jason Armstrong, could reverse the ongoing operating losses on the subscription streaming platform.

At Moffettnathanson 2025 Media, Internet & Communications Conference in New York, Armstrong did not compete that the NBA deal would increase the surgical costs of the Pfau at short notice.

“No doubt, many costs are associated with both the linear and on the peacock side,” said Armstrong.

Peacock ended the most regular business time with 41 million subscribers paid and narrowed the loss of business of USD 639 million to $ 215 million in the same period last year. This trend could probably turn up if Peacock absorbs its share of the 76 billion dollar offer between ABC and ESPN, NBC and Peacock and Prime Video.

“Our ability to monetize is a kind of question,” said Armstrong.

The executive claims that Peacock increases the offer of live sports, original programming and universal theater publications and enables the size for the NBA and other Marquee sports.

During advertising this week in New York, NBCUNIVERAL gave extended functions, including interactive elements and exclusive comments from Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, for NBA Games live streaming on Peacock.

“We will shoot the NBA, at least our programming, we think, be unsurpassed, which is a kind of legacy with the NBA 20 years ago,” said Armstrong.

The executive believes that Peacock is a better business than the pending monthly ESPN streaming service of $ 30 that started this autumn.

According to Armstrong, Peacock currently has similar NFL, NBA packages, more Golf, Premier League Soccer, The Olympics, WWE and NASCAR compared to ESPN.

“If they stacked them next to each other, it would be an interesting conclusion,” he said, adding that the NBA fills a sports programming hole after the end of football.

“We had a real one [programming] null and void in the second quarter. A possibility of protection [Peacock] Is continuity in the sports calendar that now fits exactly what we need, ”said Armstrong.

According to CFO, the deal for Peacock will pay off.

“Otherwise we wouldn't have done it,” said Armstrong. “It fills many different things, both for peacocks and for linear, which is important to us.”