NBCUniversal is leaning into an international strategy where it deploys Peacock in “different ways”, including using its technology and content across various platforms globally.
- Sky will close Peacock branded zones on its online platforms across Europe on 9th January.
- Sources explain how NBCUniversal will utilise Peacock’s assets from now on
In the USA, streaming service Peacock now has over 30 million subscribers, just over three years after its launch. But unlike other rival streaming companies, its international expansion has been rocky.
After a doomed attempt to launch Peacock in Europe, sources have told RXTV that Peacock’s international future will now be about reusing the streamer’s technology platform globally. Peacock branded zones and content will live on in various places, just not in an app called Peacock.
What happened to Peacock’s international rollout?
NBCUniversal, part of Comcast, launched the service in the USA in 2020.
A year later, it was announced that Comcast would launch the service via Sky’s platforms in Europe.
But instead of a standalone app, like Netflix, Peacock proved to be only a branded zone on Sky. It never included some of the titles originally promised in the press release and content began to disappear rapidly at the end of 2022. So customers started asking questions…
As previously reported, Sky quickly acted to shut down talk of Peacock closing, and ordered tweets on the subject to be removed.
Roll forward to the end of 2023 and Sky’s customer service pages began to inform users of the impending end.
What this means for Sky subscribers
We’ve been told that Peacock isn’t just about to die in the UK and Ireland. The service will also cease across Sky’s platforms across Europe.
Programmes previously available under the Peacock-branded area will continue via Sky-branded linear and on-demand channels and through streaming service NOW (WOW in Germany).
However, that won’t mean that all of Peacock’s shows will appear outside of the US via Sky’s platforms. NBCUniversal will continue to licence some shows to appear on other channels and streaming services. The company also can’t make Peacock’s sports output available this side of the Atlantic.
The future of Peacock globally
Although you won’t see a Peacock-branded service in the UK, Ireland and Europe going forward, elements of Peacock will live on.
RXTV sources have explained how NBCUniversal’s strategy is now about deploying Peacock “in different ways”. That includes Peacock’s technology, content and – away from Sky’s platforms in Europe – the Peacock brand. This is how:
- Peacock’s technology underpins the SkyShowtime platform in Central and Eastern Europe. It’s also ‘under the bonnet’ of Showmax in Africa.
- In India, the Peacock brand is featured as part of Viacom18’s JioCinema offering.
- Peacock content is available across various platforms globally, such as within Sky’s existing services in the UK. But NBCUniversal/Peacock shows may also appear on other platforms.
Why has Peacock struggled outside of the USA?
Thanks to market saturation, it’s become increasingly difficult to roll-out new streaming services. And increasingly, media giants are wondering how to make a profit from streaming, having cut out the middleman (often third-party pay TV platforms) to deliver content direct to consumers. The trouble is, those carriage deals were once lucrative. And delivering content that appeals to subscribers means creating an endless pipeline of new quality content, with no room for cheap filler shows like on daytime linear TV services.
For some, the solution to the problem is returning back to licensing, whereby the same media companies revert back to selling at least some of their programmes to broadcasters around the world. It’s why some NBCUniversal programmes, shown on Peacock in the USA have popped up on ITV’s channels and ITVX. In 2023, Amazon also announced it will be making its Prime Video content available to third-parties.
For other companies, more mergers and joint ventures seem to be on the horizon in the new year.
Marc Thornham