If you haven’t heard by now, NBCUniversal is entering the streaming wars with their own service. Peacock will first be offered to Comcast subscribers exclusively on April 15 with a nationwide release scheduled for June 15. The streaming app will offer several levels of service with hours of classic shows and movies to go with newly produced retro-themed sequels. But before we starting telling you about Zach and Punky, let’s get an overall look at the service.
NBCUniversal has some high expectations for Peacock. According to Deadline, executives anticipate 30-35 million subscribers and a break-even $2.5 billion ad revenue mark within four years. What that means is they will immediately be pouring billions into securing and creating content for viewers. And while ad revenue is key, viewers can expect no more than 5 minutes of ads per hour for basic subscription levels.
There will be three subscription levels for Peacock. The good news for those of us worried about tacking on another monthly service to our streaming bill, Peacock will be free! Yes, while it will be limited in comparison to paying subscribers, Peacock will offer 7,500 hours of free content just for downloading the app and watching their ads. The free plan will give next-day access to current shows and an unspecified half of their overall content pie. Subscribing to Peacock Premium for $5 a month will get access to Peacock’s initial 15,000 hours of content while still being subjected to ads. Upgrade to Peacock Premium’s $10 level and you’ll be able to watch ad-free (Xfinity subscribers will get the ad-free premium service for just $5.)
So what’s included in those 15,000 hours of content? You’ll be getting a hefty dose of retro featuring several classic TV shows and movies along with new original shows continuing 30-year storylines. What you’ll also see, initially, is a delay in getting content (just like Disney+) from other services like Netflix. shows like Parks and Rec won’t be joining Peacock until October 2020 and The Office will have to wait until January 2021. But let’s take a look at the content that Peacock will have once all of its feathers are spread out. (Bold indicates content that was initially released 20 years ago or has a retro theme/franchise.)
TELEVISION
30 Rock, Bates Motel, Battlestar Galactica, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Cheers, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, Chrisley Knows Best, Coach, Covert Affairs, Downton Abbey, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Friday Night Lights, The George Lopez Show, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, House, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, King of Queens, Law and Order, Law and Order: SVU, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Leave it to Beaver, Married…With Children, Monk, Murder She Wrote, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Parenthood, Psych, Royal Pains, Saturday Night Live, She-Ra: Princess of Power, Superstore, Two and a Half Men, Will & Grace, Xena: Warrior Princess, Yellowstone.
TV ORIGINALS
Rutherford Falls: Ed Helms portrays Nathan Rutherford, the eponymous denizen of a small New England town, who is having difficulty facing the inevitable changes to his way of life. Saved by the Bell: California Gov. Zack Morris gets into hot water for closing too many low-income high schools, he proposes they send the affected students to the highest performing schools in the state — including Bayside High. A.P. Bio, Hart to Heart: An interview show starring Kevin Hart. Girls5Eva: Tina Fey-produced comedy about a one-hit-wonder girl group from the ’90s that reunites to give their pop star dreams one more shot. Punky Brewster: In this multicamera/hybrid continuation of the iconic ’80s sitcom about a bright young girl raised by a foster dad, Punky is now a single mother of three trying to get her life back on track when she meets a young girl who reminds her a lot of her younger self. The Capture: a drama thriller that aired on the BBC in the UK. Lady Parts: a comedy launching on Channel 4 in the U.K. Intelligence: a comedy from Sky Studios starring David Schwimmer. Code 404: a comedy from Sky Studios. Hitmen: a comedy from Sky Studios. An untitled racing series from Dale Earnhardt Jr. An untitled USA Basketball Docuseries with a behind-the-scenes look at USA Basketball superstars on their journey to Tokyo, produced in partnership with the NBA. Who Wrote That: Docuseries that offers a behind the scenes look at Saturday Night Live’s most important writers. New Dreamworks Animations shows include TrollsTopia, Madagascar: A Little Wild, The Mighty Ones, Cleopatra in Space, Where’s Waldo?.
MOVIES
American Pie, Back to the Future, A Beautiful Mind, The Breakfast Club, Bridesmaids, Brokeback Mountain, Casino, Dallas Buyers Club, Despicable Me franchise, Do the Right Thing, Erin Brockovich, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Fast & Furious franchise, Field of Dreams, Jason Bourne franchise, Jaws, Knocked Up, Land Before Time franchise, Mamma Mia!, Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, Shrek.
Additional content that sets Peacock apart from other services includes the option to watch NBC’s two late night shows starting at 8pm Eastern. The upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics and Beijing Winter Olympics will be covered like never before with a special 24/7/365 channel and hours of exclusive coverage. Peacock will also have the exclusive streaming rights for the 2020 Universal and DreamWorks Animation film slates (and beyond) including Fast & Furious 9, Jurassic World 3, Trolls World Tour, The Boss Baby 2 and The Croods 2.
The big question that probably won’t be answered until closer to launch is how much of the aforementioned content will Peacock release to its free subscribers. My guess is most of the classic content will be made available and the new originals and films will likely need the $5 subscription. For more information and email updates, visit the official PeacockTV.com website.
Let me know your initial thoughts about Peacock! Do you see yourself as a free or premium subscriber after seeing the content listed above?
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