Key Takeaways:
- NBC’s NBA return is built for the modern fan, with live games, Peacock streaming, and a heavy focus on clips and short-form highlights
- NBC sharpens its brand by focusing on the English Premier League and turning down other soccer rights—prioritizing depth, not just breadth
- Fans are now the programmers; NBC’s strategy includes flexible scheduling, mobile-first highlights, and content designed for always-on fandom
As the President of Acquisitions and Partnerships at NBC Sports, Jon Miller is helping reshape the way sports are seen, shared, and remembered by fans. Most recently he engineered a high-profile reunion between NBC and the NBA—a major deal in the industry, and one that will have serious implications for future media deals in the streaming era.
We’re taking over a very big package—over 100 regular season games, a robust postseason, and we’ll be alternating Conference Finals with Amazon. The NBA is back on NBC—and it’s bigger than before.”
Owning the Window: Why Schedule Still Matters
Amid endless streaming options and fractured attention spans, Miller pointed to one enduring truth: premium placement still holds power.
Whether it’s Sunday Night Football or Saturday mornings with the Premier League, NBC’s strategy rests on appointment fandom. Each year, there’s a substantial number of Americans that wait until the NFL calendar is released in May to plan major events in the months ahead. Oh, your team is playing in Vegas this year? What a perfect time to do that bachelor party. Birthday in February? Better finally make this the year you close on those Super Bowl tickets. Predictability, Miller believes, is part of what drives memorable moments and generational habits. That could also be as simple as bonding over Premier League matches every Saturday morning on Peacock. Miller mentioned a particularly gratifying moment when a fan sent an email to the network saying that the games have improved his relationship with his grandchildren, and given them cherished time together.
That type of fandom is something that NBC has been building with the Premier League for over a decade. The success of the partnership has earned attention from other leagues, but Miller says he’s turned them down because he doesn’t want to take away from the effort that’s been put in already. “NBC doesn’t want to be the network of soccer, it wants to be the network of the Premier League,” he said.
From Broadcaster to Brand Builder
When Miller pitches a league on joining the NBC family he’s talking brand elevation. The company’s relationship with the Premier League is a case study both in ratings growth and in cultural impact. NBC tripled the league’s U.S. audience in three years, and jerseys are now as common in Times Square as NBA or MLB gear.
Part of the strategy has included rights to clips and highlights to keep American fans up on all the action. “We bought the rights, but we also bought what’s called clip rights. Because not everyone can sit and devote hours to watching a Premier League match.” Those clips, he said, are very important to building an audience.
Peacock, Flexibility, and the Fragmented Fan
What NBC has learned—largely through experimentation on Peacock—is that the future isn’t linear. It’s modular.
Fans have all sorts of new expectations, like alternate feeds, condensed versions, real-time highlights, and cross-device portability. As Miller puts it, “the programmer is more the viewer.”
In this ecosystem, the value of rights is measured by ratings and by how a property lifts subscriptions, powers cross-promotions, and fuels new storytelling formats. Companies like NBC Sports aren’t just competing against traditional broadcast partners like ABC and CBS, they’re competing against Apple, Netflix, and Hulu…even cats on Instagram.
But the challenge doesn’t end with getting fans to watch the game—it’s about bringing them back. Building a base of loyal, return viewers is what separates today’s leading media brands from traditional media companies. To achieve this, rights holders need to invest in owned and operated platforms — like mobile apps and streaming services — to control their storytelling and deliver their messaging directly. Modern fans want to support organizations they personally identify with, whether through social causes, fashion, family connections, or simply rooting for the hometown team. The best way to create those connections is through content.
Big Plans for 2026
The future is fast approaching. In the span of just 10 days in early 2026, NBC will air the Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game, and the Winter Olympics. It’s a convergence few networks could handle—and even fewer could elevate.
Yet for Miller and his team, the bigger the spotlight, the better the storytelling opportunity. To connect sports across platforms and generations—and to create the experiences that will have fans remembering that magic moment they watched on NBC.