Disney isn’t the only streamer pushing consumers to its live sports offerings. Peacock is set to debut a new ad spot starring former NBA All-Star and MVP Allen Iverson that pokes fun at AI while showcasing its status as having “the most live sports of any streamer.”
The ad, which is set to premiere during Thursday’s NBC Sports telecast of the NFL kickoff game between the Detroit Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs, opens with a man in his living room.
“I love watching sports. But with so many choices out there, it’s hard to know where to turn,” he says. “But now, thanks to AI, it’s so easy.”
The camera then cuts to a bored Iverson lounging next to him on the couch. “Just watch Peacock. They have the most live sports of any streamer.”
The commercial then emphasizes that tag line, showing clips from Sunday Night football, the Premier League, NASCAR, the PGA Tour and Big 10 basketball. Having the most live sports of any streamer is an especially relevant stance at the moment.
Last week, negotiations between Charter Communications and Disney boiled over. Essentially, Charter wanted its subscribers to also have access to Disney’s streaming apps, and Disney refused. But when Disney offered to extend negotiations so that no Spectrum customers would be without Disney’s offerings during a sports-heavy Labor Day weekend, Charter refused.
By Thursday — the opening day of the college football season — Spectrum had pulled all Disney-operated channels from its lineup, including ESPN and ABC. Roughly 15 million Spectrum customers were left unable to watch these games or the ongoing U.S. Open.
In the aftermath, Disney urged Spectrum subscribers to pivot to Hulu + Live TV, a streamer that is majority owned by the House of Mouse. As for Charter Communications, they’ve been threatened with a class action lawsuit from their subscribers.
Variety first reported this news.
