STAMFORD, Conn. — Saturday night’s AFC wild-card playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs on Peacock set a record for the most-watched event on a streaming service.
According to Nielsen, the Chiefs’ 26-7 victory in frigid temperatures averaged 23 million viewers on Peacock, NFL+, and on NBC affiliates in Kansas City and Miami. Nielsen also reported Sunday night that the game had a total reach of 27.6 million.
Fans had to pay for a Peacock subscription, which starts at $5.99, to watch the game, making it the NFL’s first playoff game behind a paywall — a move by the league that generated no shortage of complaints from fans.
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Nonetheless, the average viewership easily surpassed the previous record of 15.3 million for the Nov. 30 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys on Amazon Prime Video. It also surpassed the audiences for the Saturday night wild-card playoff games that were shown on NBC in two of the last three years.
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Last year’s first-round playoff game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars averaged 20.61 million viewers.
According to various reports, NBCUniversal paid $110 million for the rights to the game. Although the final score wasn’t close, the Dolphins-Chiefs game had the novelty of being one of the coldest in NFL history — and Taylor Swift was in attendance to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
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Judging by the audience, Saturday’s game is unlikely to be the last playoff matchup shown on a streaming service.
Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution, said viewership would be one factor in deciding if a wild card game would continue to be exclusively streamed in the future.
Under the NFL’s contract, each of its four broadcast partners — NBC, CBS, Fox, and ESPN/ABC — gets at least one wild-card game. Of the two remaining games, one rotates each year between NBC, CBS, and Fox, while the other will likely be up for bid each year. That means Peacock, Paramount+, Amazon, or ESPN+ could eventually be in the running.
The Houston Texans’ 45-14 rout of the Cleveland Browns averaged 29 million on NBC, Peacock, digital platforms, and Telemundo. That is the most watched wild-card game in the late Saturday afternoon slot since a 2018 game between the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys averaged 30.06 million on Fox and streaming platforms.
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The 2026 MLB season has surpassed the quarter mark, and after each team’s first 40 games, there’s plenty of reasons to tune in all summer long.
Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami has already proven doubters wrong by launching 17 home runs, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes consistently looks like the best version of himself on the mound and Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski is throwing harder than any starter in the majors.
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The MLB action continues on Friday as the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Kansas City Royals.
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the first pitch.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals?
First pitch between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals is scheduled for (ET) on Friday, June 19.
How to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals on Friday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Friday, June 19, 2026, at 6:33 a.m.
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Matchup: STL at KC
Date: Friday, June 19
Time: (ET)
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
TV: Apple TV
Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
Watch MLB all season long with Fubo
MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for June 19 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — It’s been a week since the World Cup began in Kansas City, but some local businesses aren’t feeling the expected influx in traffic and are asking for support.
On Thursday, KC2026 provided numbers for the FIFA Fan Festival and the ConnectKC26 transportation system.
From June 11 to June 16, KC2026 said more than 63,000 people attended the FIFA Fan Festival.
There are mixed results for where everyone is from:
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52% from Kansas or Missouri
33% from the United States
15% from out of the country
As of 2 p.m. on June 17, ConnectKC26 has a total of 86,540 registered passes.
Breakdown of routes from KC2026:
Stadium Direct: 57,302
Regional Direct: 17,284
Airport Direct: 11,954
As for business traffic, it depends on where you look. Some businesses in the Country Club Plaza said they’ve seen an uptick, especially on the first match day.
“We just had a really fun time with all of the fans, and I think we did a good job preparing for it,” said KC Style Haus Owner, Deserae Minor.
But many businesses are sharing their disappointment online.
‘Ghost town’
Caitlin Benedict, who owns Bisou, a European-style coffee and pastry shop, took to Instagram after shopping at a Crossroads night market.
“We are all in this together, it sucks. It was dead. It’s been dead everywhere,” said Bisou Owner, Caitlin Benedict.
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After sharing her disappointment online, she saw an uptick in business on Thursday.
“It’s nice when the community can help out, and you can back up your own hometown at the same time,” said Janet Garciga, who drove in from Lee’s Summit to visit Bisou.
People sit outside on the patio in Bisou Kansas City, after its owner asked for more support during the World Cup.(KCTV5 News)
“I don’t want them to just come to Bisou, and I don’t want it to just be for a day. I want them to go everywhere else, and I want them to support everyone else, and consistently, especially for the next month and a half while FIFA is here,” said Benedict.
She heard from businesses experiencing the same issues in Mission, other spots downtown, Kansas City, Kansas, and Overland Park.
Flags wave outside of Buffalo State Pizza in Kansas City, Missouri during the World Cup.(KCTV5 News)
Down the road in the Crossroads, Buffalo State Pizza saw fans for the French match on Tuesday.
“But after that, I mean, we even close early on Tuesday because that was, it was dead,” said Buffalo State Pizza Owner, Phillippe Lechevin.
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Shopping bags and matchas aren’t filling up at Dear Society either.
“The 10 years that I’ve been here in Kansas City. I have seen a lot of these big events coming into town, and we’ve been told to prepare and get ready for these huge crowds. And to be honest, after the NFL draft and after so many things that I’ve seen in 10 years, I didn’t do anything different,” said Dear Society Owner, Chanel Jezek. “I kind of knew. I had a feeling like we weren’t going to be as busy as they were projecting because they’ve done this to us before.”
Dear Society in Kansas City, Missouri, is described as an experiential retail concept by the owner.(KCTV5 News)
Multiple factors = slow traffic
All three, Bisou, Buffalo State Pizza, and Dear Society, said there isn’t really someone to blame, but rather multiple factors that could be part of the issues.
A lot of eateries in town added a 20% automatic gratuity to bills, Bisou and Buffalo State Pizza decided not to take part, but worry that it is keeping locals away.
Visit KC projected 650,000 visitors throughout the entire tournament, and these businesses wonder if the possibility of large crowds and no parking is also keeping residents at home.
“I think we lost a lot of the regular ones. You know, the number was shown earlier back in February, you know, the 600,000 people. People who have the option to work from home, but maybe they didn’t want to deal with the traffic, since there’s no traffic. So hopefully they’re going to come back,” said Lechevin. “People may realize, actually, you know, it’s not as crazy as it is. I can still park in my regular spot and have lunch at my regular spot without being, you know, charged an extra amount.”
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Jezek said she’d love to see KC2026 and FIFA add more locally owned businesses on their website so fans know where to find them.
“We are not seeing an increase in traffic on the streets. We are not crowded like they were predicting. You can still come in. You can still support your local businesses, your favorite coffee shops, your favorite places to grab your gifts, or whatever. We’re here. We’re slow. And there are more places to park,” said Jezek.
Benedict said it is an honor to have the World Cup here, but wants to see more honesty and support from leaders.
“I feel like it’s good for our city. It’s recognition. But at the same time, I want leadership to step in and say, okay, we didn’t get as many travelers as we should have,” said Benedict.
These businesses are hopeful that fans, locals, and other owners all come out and support these small shops throughout the metro during the World Cup and beyond.
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“I would say just keep coming and supporting us and showing up,” said Jezek.
KCTV5 reached out to Visit KC, but did not have any numbers it could share at this time.
Mayor Quinton Lucas’ office shared the statement below after this story aired on Thursday:
“While the economic impact of a global event of this magnitude will naturally vary by business and by neighborhood, Mayor Lucas is encouraged by what he is hearing from Kansas City’s entertainment and hospitality sectors. Hotels, bars, and restaurants reported strong activity as Kansas City welcomed tens of thousands of guests for the opening match. As we look toward this weekend’s games and the remainder of the tournament, we’ll continue to highlight opportunities for our visitors and residents alike to join in the fun and celebration of this one in a generation moment.”
Businesses are hopeful that the longer the World Cup goes on, the more people will show up. KCTV5 plans to check in with these businesses throughout the tournament to see if traffic picks up.
Cooler temperatures today, but we will keep a chance of thunderstorms going in south-central Kansas this morning. One or two could be strong.
Temperatures stay cooler in southern Kansas thanks to clouds and rain in the area. Warmer temps and sunshine to the north.
Another chance of severe weather will visit Kansas this weekend, with a complex of strong storms rolling across the area Saturday night.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Meteorologist Jack Maney:
Wichita:
Today: Mostly cloudy. 60% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 80 Wind: NE 8-18 Tonight: Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers. Lo: 62 Wind: NE/E 5-15 Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 85 Wind: E/SE 5-15 Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 68 Wind: SE 5-15
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Wichita Weekly
Sat: Hi: 87 Lo: 73 Partly to mostly cloudy. 50% chance of showers and storms. Sun: Hi: 92 Lo: 67 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Mon: Hi: 82 Lo: 65 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms. Tue: Hi: 84 Lo: 66 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms. Wed: Hi: 86 Lo: 68 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Thu: Hi: 88 Lo: 69 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
SOUTHWEST: Dodge City, Garden City, Liberal, Greensburg, Guymon
Southwest:
Today: Partly to mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 84 Wind: NE/E 10-25 Tonight: Mostly to partly cloudy. Lo: 58 Wind: E/SE 5-15 Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 85 Wind: SE 8-18 Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 62 Wind: SE 5-15
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Southwest Weekly
Sat: Hi: 92 Lo: 66 Mostly cloudy. 40% chance of showers and storms. Sun: Hi: 91 Lo: 59 Mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Mon: Hi: 82 Lo: 58 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Tue: Hi: 83 Lo: 60 Mostly to partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Wed: Hi: 85 Lo: 61 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Thu: Hi: 89 Lo: 62 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
NORTHWEST: Colby, Goodland, Hill City, Oberlin, McCook
Northwest:
Today: Partly cloudy to mostly sunny. Hi: 86 Wind: NE/E 5-15 Tonight: Mostly clear to partly cloudy. Lo: 61 Wind: E/S 5-15 Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 86 Wind: S/SE 8-18 Tomorrow Night: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 61 Wind: SE 5-15
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Northwest Weekly
Sat: Hi: 90 Lo: 61 Partly to mostly cloudy. 50% chance of showers and storms. Sun: Hi: 84 Lo: 55 Mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Mon: Hi: 78 Lo: 56 Mostly to partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Tue: Hi: 82 Lo: 58 Partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Wed: Hi: 85 Lo: 59 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Thu: Hi: 87 Lo: 60 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
NORTHCENTRAL: Salina, Great Bend, Hays, Russell, Beloit, Osborne
North Central:
Today: Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 83 Wind: NE 8-18 Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lo: 60 Wind: NE/SE 5-15 Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 86 Wind: SE 8-18 Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 66 Wind: SE 5-15
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North Central Weekly
Sat: Hi: 88 Lo: 70 Partly to mostly cloudy. 70% chance of showers and storms. Sun: Hi: 88 Lo: 63 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Mon: Hi: 81 Lo: 62 Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms. Tue: Hi: 84 Lo: 64 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Wed: Hi: 86 Lo: 66 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Thu: Hi: 88 Lo: 67 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
