NBCUniversal officially unveiled its new streaming service Peacock today, announcing that the service will be available as part of a bundle for Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex Customers on April 15, before launching nationally on July 15.
The company had announced its plans to enter the streaming market a year ago, describing it as an ad-supported, subscription service that would also be available to pay-TV subscribers at no additional cost.
That’s more-or-less what the company detailed at an investor presentation today, where it said there will a free tier of Peacock that includes more than 7,500 hours of programming, including classic shows and the current seasons of freshman broadcast series.
But if you want to see the original programming that NBCUniversal is creating for Peacock — and twice as many hours of content overall — you’ll need Peacock Premium, which will be bundled for Comcast and Cox subscribers, and will cost $4.99 per month otherwise.
Both of those versions will include ads, though you can also pay $9.99 for an ad-free experience.
The new service is one of several big streaming launches expected this year, with WarnerMedia’s HBO Max and Jeffrey Katzenberg’s mobile service Quibi also preparing to make their debuts. Those join other recent entries from Disney and Apple in an increasingly crowded streaming landscape still led by the big three — Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. (The latter is now majority-owned by Disney, but NBCU parent Comcast will hold onto its Hulu stake until 2024.)
Many of the newer streamers — including the just-launched Disney+ and Apple TV+, as well as the upcoming HBO Max — are opting for an ad-free experience. But NBCU’s Peacock will instead follow the business models adopted by Hulu and ViacomCBS Inc.s’ CBS All Access, where advertising helps to bring down the cost of the subscription.
Despite its terrible name (yes, we get it — it’s the NBC logo), Peacock has a chance to grab a slice of the streaming market thanks to its decent back catalog and NBCU’s plans to promote the service heavily during the Summer Olympics on NBC.
NBCU announced Peacock’s original programming lineup last fall, which includes reboots of “Battlestar Galactica,” “Punky Brewster,” and “Saved by the Bell,” plus new series like “Dr. Death,” based on the true-crime podcast; “Brave New World,” based on the dystopian Aldous Huxley novel; an SNL docu-series “Who Wrote That,” “One of Us Is Lying,” based on the NYT best-seller, and many more.
Peacock will also be the new home for Netflix’s most-watched series, “The Office,” in a deal valued at $500 million for the comedy classic.
Other NBC shows will be available on Peacock, too, including “30 Rock,” “Bates Motel,” “Battlestar Gallactica,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Cheers,” “Chrisley Knows Best,” “Covert Affairs,” “Downton Abbey,” “Everyone Loves Raymond,” “Frasier,” “Friday Night Lights,” “House,” “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “King Of Queens,” “Married…With Children,” “Monk,” “Parenthood,” “Psych,” “Royal Pains,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Superstore,” “The Real Housewives,” “Top Chef,” and “Will & Grace.”
Popular films to stream on Peacock include “American Pie,” “Bridesmaids,” “Knocked Up,” “Meet the Parents,” “Meet the Fockers,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “Back to the Future,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Casino,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Do the Right Thing,” “Erin Brockovich,” “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial,” “Field of Dreams,” “Jaws,” “Mamma Mia!,” “Shrek,” and “The Breakfast Club.” Peacock will also feature films from the franchises: “Bourne,” “Despicable Me,” and “Fast & Furious.”
