NBCUniversal unveils Peacock freemium streaming service

Thursday, January 16th, 2020
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NBCUniversal Unveils Peacock, A Free Premium Ad-Supported Streaming Service With Subscription Tiers

  • Peacock to Launch April 15 to Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex Customers; Debuts Nationally July 15
  • Peacock Strikes Bundled Distribution Deals with Cox and Comcast, Bringing the Service to a Combined Total of More Than 24 Million Initial Subscribers
  • Brands Including Eli Lilly and Company, State Farm, Target and Unilever Sign on as First Set of Launch Sponsors of Peacock
  • Juggernaut Law and Order and Chicago Brands From Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment to Stream on Peacock
  • Peacock Signs Multi-Year Deal With Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network
  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers to Stream Early on Peacock Each Day
  • Exclusive Live, Daily Olympic Programming From the 2020 Summer Games Featured on Peacock

NEW YORK — At a Comcast investor presentation held in the iconic Studio 8H of 30 Rock, NBCUniversal unveiled Peacock, a free premium ad-supported streaming service with subscription tiers offering more than 600 movies and 400 series, as well as compelling live and on-demand content across news, sports, late night, and reality. From world-class originals and treasured hits, to blockbuster films and streaming channels, Peacock will offer consumers everything fans love to watch, all in one place.

Taking a different strategic approach, the company announced a tiered offering that gives consumers broad access to Peacock across web, mobile and connected-TV devices:

  • Peacock Free: This free, ad-supported option will provide fans everywhere with more than 7,500 hours of programming. Peacock Free includes next day access to current seasons of freshman broadcast series, complete classic series, popular movies, curated daily news and sports programming including the Olympics, Spanish-language content, select episodes of marquee Peacock originals and tent-pole series, as well as curated Peacock streaming genre channels such as “SNL Vault,” “Family Movie Night” and “Olympic Profiles.”
  • Peacock Premium: Bundled at no additional cost to 24 million Comcast and Cox subscribers, this ad-supported option will additionally include full season Peacock originals and tent-pole series, next day access to current seasons of returning broadcast series, early access to late night talk shows, and additional sports – such as the Premier League – totaling more than 15,000 hours of content. Also available for $4.99 per month on all popular connected mobile and web devices for non-bundled customers.

    The company expects to bundle Peacock Premium with additional partners in the coming months.

    Premium customers can upgrade to an ad-free experience for an additional $5.00 per month, or any customer can purchase the ad-free experience directly for $9.99 per month.

“This is a very exciting time for our company, as we chart the future of entertainment,” said Steve Burke, Chairman of NBCUniversal. “We have one of the most enviable collections of media brands and the strongest ad sales track record in the business. Capitalizing on these key strengths, we are taking a unique approach to streaming that brings value to customers, advertisers and shareholders.”

“Peacock will provide consumers with a destination that goes beyond movies and television, aggregating a variety of content that fans want on one service,” said Matt Strauss, Chairman of Peacock and NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises. “By delivering timely and topical content like breaking news, live sports, and watercooler moments from late night, Peacock is uniquely bringing a pulse to the world of streaming that does not exist in today’s marketplace.”

LAUNCH DATES & SUBSCRIBER TARGET:

Xfinity X1 and Flex customers will have early bird access to Peacock Premium starting April 15. And beginning July 15, taking full advantage of the massive promotional opportunity of the Tokyo Olympics, Peacock Free and Peacock Premium will be available nationally on popular web, mobile and connected-TV devices. The company expects to reach 30-35 million active accounts by 2024.

BRAND SPONSORS:

Peacock will launch with a select group of top brand sponsors, bringing in hundreds of millions of initial advertising revenue. Peacock’s launch sponsors include Eli Lilly and Company, State Farm, Target and Unilever. Each launch sponsor will have the exclusive opportunity to define Peacock’s new advertising experience to give consumers the best content at the best price: free.

NEW CONTENT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Peacock announced a broad slate of new, high-profile TV and film acquisitions, as well as a robust programming strategy around late night, sports, kids, news, and more.