Oh, how TV has changed! We used to have just NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox…. ummm, HBO, Starz…. uh, Netflix, and… Amazon… OK. There’s been an EXPLOSION of streaming services, original content providers, YouTube videos. And with the introduction of Peacock, NBC’s upcoming service, all three major network players will now have their own streaming/content partners (ABC is owned by Disney).
Peacock will be different though – it will be FREE! to a certain extent. Refreshing, and cost-considerate. I appreciate that, since our household is already paying for Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, CBS All Access, and AppleTV. Oh, and cable, with some premiums. Geez, I have to stop watching so much TV.
At a Comcast investor presentation in New York today, NBC Universal unveiled news about the new service. Comcast (which is NBC’s parent company) will debut the service on its XFinityX1 and Flex video platforms on April 15, with a national launch on July 15. The national rollout happens just before the summer Olympics begin on July 24, which will give NBC, the sole US outlet for the Olympics, a huge free advertising platform.
Three versions will be available – a free, ad-supported one; a more robust, ad-supported service that will be free to Comcast and Cox Cable subscribers ($5 for everyone else); and a service with no ads, which will be $5 for Comcast/Cox subscribers and $10 for other viewers.
PEACOCK EVENTS — “Peacock Investor Day” at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York, NY on Thursday, January 16, 2020 — Pictured: Bonnie Hammer, Chairman, NBCUniversal Content Studios — (Photo by: Peter Kramer/Peacock)
What will you find on Peacock, besides ads to support the free-ness (if you decide not to upgrade to one of their paid premium tiers)? Peacock Free includes next-day access to current seasons of new broadcast series, some film and TV titles, and only select episodes of “marquee” originals and “tentpole” series. It will also feature curated genre channels like “SNL Vault,” “Family Movie Night,” and “Olympic Profiles.”
According to NBC, “Peacock Premium, meanwhile, adds full-season Peacock originals and tentpole series and next-day access to current seasons of returning broadcast shows. It also throws in early access to late night titles like the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and sports attractions like exclusive Premiere League soccer matches, and Olympic programming.
“Programming will include 600 movie titles and 400 series, including NBC broadcast mainstays like the Law & Order franchise, The Office and Parks and Recreation; acquired titles like Yellowstone and Two and a Half Men, and a slate of original shows.”
PEACOCK EVENTS — Pictured: Peacock at 30 Rockefeller Plaza — (Photo by: Jason Hoffman/Peacock)
The list of TV acquisitions includes staples such as 30 Rock, Battlestar Galactica, Dick Wolf’s “Chicago” series, Downton Abbey, King of Queens, The Office, and more (Friends isn’t mentioned). A list of originals planned for the service include a Kevin Hart-helmed interview show, a Tina Fey-produced comedy, several UK shows, and titles under a partnership with Sky Studios. I’m particularly excited about Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, the second James Roday/Dule Hill movie from the Psych series.
PEACOCK EVENTS — “Peacock Investor Day” at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York, NY on Thursday, January 16, 2020 — Pictured: Tina Fey — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/Peacock)
Peacock will also have the exclusive streaming rights for 2020 Universal films (Universal is part of the Comcast/NBC family) and beyond. These will include blockbuster films such as Fast & Furious 9 and Jurassic World 3. This is in addition to original films and animated series in development from Universal and DreamWorks, and hundreds of critically-acclaimed films and box-office hits.
Kids’ programming will be included as well – subscribers will have an option to pay for DreamWorks Animation films Trolls World Tour, Baby Boss 2 and Croods 2. “Peacock will also be the exclusive streaming home to new episodes of Curious George, one of the most beloved children’s titles in the history of animation,” according to NBC. New original series from DreamWorks Animation will also stream on Peacock, including TrollsTopia, Madagascar: A Little Wild, The Mighty Ones, Cleopatra in Space and Where’s Waldo?
In addition, Peacock Premium subscribers will have access to NBC’s late-night talk shows early in the evening (Jimmy Fallon at 8 pm eastern, Seth Meyers at 9 pm). For a complete list of what will be available during the service’s first year, click here for an article from Deadline.
Get more info and sign up for the premium service at peacocktv.com.
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