Peacock’s NBA debut broadcast leaves fans

Peacock’s NBA coverage has already sparked frustration among fans, just months after the streaming service hiked its costs resulting from live soccer and basketball broadcasts.

The Chicago Bulls confronted off against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, marking the first time NBA basketball was aired on Peacock. The game featured Noah Eagle and Reggie Miller as commentators, with Ashley ShahAhmadi reporting from the sidelines, giving fans a style of what NBA action will seem like in the 2025-26 season.

The nail-biting match ended with the Bulls clinching a 118-117 victory. Fans have been fast to voice their opinions on the coverage, pinpointing sure points of the broadcast for criticism. This is not the first time Peacock has upset fans, with NBC’s resolution to make use of AI to recreate the late Jim Fagan’s voice for promotional supplies inflicting a divide among diehard viewers.

What actually riled up fans was the inclusion of Miller in the broadcast. The former TNT Sports legend was introduced on by NBC Sports after the network determined to not retain the NBA, alongside other big names like Carmelo Anthony and Jamal Crawford.

From the get-go, it was evident that fans weren’t thrilled to see Miller on Peacock. One disgruntled viewer wrote: “We can’t escape Reggie Miller. This is bulls—. Why is he on Peacock, bro? Please, the world really might be ending. He wasn’t even that good to warrant this sort of life after playing extension. I hate it.”

Another viewer called out the Indiana Pacers legend for mixing up a number of gamers, writing on X, “Reggie Miller in mid season form messing up players names already.”

A 3rd chimed in: “Yeah, Reggie Miller is a rough listen, he’s got a job because he was a hall of famer and sounds like he knows what he’s talking about, but oof.”

Viewers also discovered themselves divided on Peacock’s presentation of the game, with some praising the sharpness of the broadcast while others took issue with the new scorebug. “The circular team logos in a rectangular box is icking me,” one fan noticed.

Another weighed in: “Copying espn where they match the jersey colors. I hate that because most of the time with white jerseys we have to see white on the scorebug which makes it ugly af.” Additional disgruntled fans voiced their frustrations about the NBA’s presence on Peacock, which proved controversial in its personal proper.

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“Who knows what will come on the 21st but people are gonna be extremely disappointed if the Peacock NBA show is anything like the NBC one. But, it’s extremely possible they’re holding back stuff. It’s as bland and generic as you can possibly imagine,” one fan prompt.

“Watching the nba on peacock and man o mannn will NBA on TnT be missed,” another remarked.

One fan bluntly acknowledged: “This NBA s– on peacock is A–.” Some viewers also expressed confusion that the legendary ‘NBA on NBC’ theme music – ‘Roundball Rock’ – was conspicuously absent from the broadcast, speculating it’d floor when the common season kicks off in full swing.

“We’re 20 minutes into Peacock’s first NBA game which has included a pregame show, game action, and throwing it to commercial … not a single whimper of Roundball Rock yet. Perhaps they’re saving it for the regular season/NBC main broadcast. Idk. A fact, nonetheless,” one fan posted.