Four years after it launches, first to some Comcast subscribers in April and then nationally by July, the service will be bringing in $2.5 billion in revenue and breaking even. There will be 30 million to 35 million “active users” by that point, the company said.
Expected to launch in April 2020, the ad-supported platform will feature library content (The Office) and scripted originals (a new Battlestar Galactica) as well as originals from the media giant’s portfolio, including Bravo and E!.
NBCUniversal on Thursday afternoon revealed details of its plan for new streaming service Peacock that differ from other streaming services. Networks typically offer free access to TV episodes the day after their broadcasts through their own apps and Hulu. Peacock will offer next-day access to first-year shows for free. For returning shows, it will be part of a premium offering that costs $5 with ads and $10 without.
Comcast Corp. will reveal details today of Peacock, its belated entry into the streaming wars, as it harnesses its NBCUniversal library and invests in new content in an effort to capture viewers abandoning cable TV.
Comcast-owned NBCUniversal plans to detail its Peacock streaming video service on Jan. 16. But at CES 2020, an executive described the general strategy behind the content on the video-on-demand service as being like comfort food for viewers. Linda Yaccarino, chairman of ad sales and client partnerships at NBCU, said Peacock will leverage familiar brands, such as The Office, Parks and Recreation and Saturday Night Live, and focus on quality over quantity.
Exclusives
HBO Max, Peacock and the animated show’s current streaming home Hulu are all in the mix.
NBCUniversal today unveiled management changes that will see Bonnie Hammer shift from launching the Peacock streaming platform to overseeing all broadcast and cable studio operations. Comcast vet Matt Strauss is joining NBCU as the new head of Peacock, while Paul Telegdy will become the solo chairman of NBC Entertainment, multiple sources close to the situation have confirmed. George Cheeks, who has spent the past years as co-chair of the NBC Entertainment broadcast division alongside Telegdy, will shift to a vice chair role under Hammer.
NBC is preparing a new salvo in the streaming-era TV branding wars. As audiences increasingly watch shows like The Good Place and Superstore on other platforms, NBC has launched a new campaign to remind them that these are, first and foremost, NBC shows. And they’re even enlisting a real-life peacock to convey the message, all in support of its just-named Peacock streaming service.
NBCUniversal said Tuesday that its upcoming streaming service will be called Peacock, in an homage to NBC’s logo. It will become the home for some of the company’s most popular shows, including Parks and Recreation and The Office.
