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The
service, which became available to some Comcast Corp <CMCSA.O>
subscribers in April, is the media giant’s effort to offset
declines in Comcast’s cable TV business - while finding a new
way to monetize NBC and Universal content and maintain demand
for the company’s broadband business, which powers streaming
services.
Peacock will include a mix of NBC series, sports, news and
original shows, such as the dystopian drama “Brave New World”
and documentary “In Deep with Ryan Lochte.”
Unlike the majority of its streaming rivals, Peacock is offering
a free, ad-supported version, which will include 7,500 hours of
programming. NBCUniversal hopes to lure advertisers through the
vast amounts of data it can use to target commercials based on
viewers’ interests, including data from Comcast’s cable TV
set-top boxes.
Peacock also has two paid options: a $4.99 per month service
with commercials and 20,000 hours of programming; and an ad-free
version costing $9.99 per month.
NBCUniversal missed the opportunity to market Peacock during its
broadcast of the Tokyo Summer Olympics, which were postponed due
to the coronavirus outbreak. And as the last entry to the
streaming war, Peacock will be competing for streaming dollars
with services such as Netflix Inc <NFLX.O>, Walt Disney Co <DIS.N>-owned
Disney+ and Amazon.com Inc's <AMZN.O> Amazon Prime Video.
But Peacock’s free option could be a draw for viewers who have
already maxed out their monthly entertainment budgets. And
viewers stuck at home are hungry for content: Since the start of
the coronavirus pandemic, 23% of U.S. consumers have added at
least one new paid streaming video service, according to
Deloitte.
(Reporting by Helen Coster; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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