NFL Kicks Off 2026 Season with Patriots-Seahawks on NBC’s Peacock

The 2026 NFL season begins tonight with a single Week 1 matchup, as the New England Patriots visit the Seattle Seahawks at 8:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The game will air nationally on NBC, with streaming available through Peacock, the platform owned by Comcast.

The midweek opener is an unusual scheduling choice — most NFL season openers land on Thursday — but it hands NBC’s broadcast and streaming properties an exclusive national window to start the year. Peacock has become an increasingly prominent NFL destination, and the game will also be available via team-specific broadcasts for both clubs.

For Comcast, live sports remain a key driver of both linear viewership and streaming sign-ups as the company’s Media segment competes for advertising dollars against streaming rivals. The stock closed at $26.33 and is trading at $24.61 today, down 6.54%, giving the company a market capitalization of roughly $92.5 billion. The move comes amid broader pressure in telecom and media shares; Comcast operates across Residential Connectivity & Platforms, Business Services Connectivity, Media, Studios, and Theme Parks.

Exclusive NFL windows have proven valuable for platforms seeking subscriber acquisition. NBC’s Sunday Night Football has long been among the most-watched programs on television, and Peacock’s streamed exclusives — including playoff games in recent seasons — have drawn record streaming audiences. Tonight’s opener extends that strategy, pairing a marquee weekly property with a season-launch audience.

Viewers can tune in via NBC’s over-the-air broadcast or through Peacock, while fans in local markets can access team-produced coverage from the Patriots and Seahawks broadcasts.

What to watch

• Peacock streaming figures for the opener, which may be disclosed in Comcast’s upcoming earnings cycle.
• Week 1 national ratings and how the Wednesday slot performs against a typical Thursday opener.
• Comcast’s next quarterly report for Media segment ad revenue and Peacock subscriber trends.
• Remaining Week 1 scheduling, which continues through the weekend.

Source: original release