Peacock, set to launch nationally on July 15 on
mobile devices, Web and connected television platforms, will
compete against Netflix Inc <NFLX.O>, Amazon.com Inc <AMZN.O>
Prime Video, Walt Disney Co's <DIS.N> Disney+, Hulu, and AT&T
Inc's <T.N> HBO Max in the fight for paying subscribers.
The content licensing agreement is nonexclusive and shows such
as "Undercover Boss" and "Everybody Hates Chris" will continue
to be available on ViacomCBS platforms.
"The partnership we are announcing today is consistent with our
strategy to maximize the value of our content by selectively
licensing our library product to third parties while
prioritizing franchise IP for our own platforms," ViacomCBS
Global Distribution Group President Dan Cohen said in a
statement.
During a first-quarter earnings call, ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish
said the license strategy would help the company reach new fans.
"We're not going to license critical mass of any of our key
programming areas ... to any single player," Bakish said during
the May earnings call.
ViacomCBS, which also operates rival subscription and free
streaming services, has aggressively licensed content to other
services.
Paramount films will be available on Peacock for limited periods
throughout 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Peacock offers a free subscription with 7,500 hours of content
and a premium option for $4.99 per month with 15,000 hours of
content, both of which feature ads. It will offer an ad-free
tier for $9.99 per month.
Peacock launched to some Comcast customers for free in April,
featuring limited new and existing content such as "30 Rock" and
"Jurassic Park."
(This story corrects in eighth paragraph that Paramount films
will be available for limited periods, not ViacomCBS shows)
(Reporting by Arriana McLymore in New York; Editing by Matthew
Lewis)
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