The Peacock has had its feathers plucked. Sky subscribers report Peacock’s programmes vanishing from the line-up, a year after the streaming service was rolled out.
Sky users across the UK, Ireland, Germany and Italy report a number of Peacock shows have been withdrawn over the New Year. Expiry dates were suddenly brought forward to 31st December.
Some Sky users told RXTV that Peacock had been removed from their list of apps over the New Year, but could still be accessed elsewhere in the on-demand library. However, this does not appear to be the case for all users.
A selection of mostly true crime and reality shows continues within Sky’s on-demand section under the Peacock banner. Some of Peacock’s entertainment programming is still available in the UK and Ireland, but not in Germany or Italy. Many of these are due to expire in the coming months.
Peacock was soft-launched in the UK and Ireland on 16th November 2021, promising a variety of entertainment shows including The Girl in the Woods, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, Superstore, Below Deck and The Real Housewives. However, the service is only available on Sky’s platforms, including Sky Q, Sky Glass and NOW.
Not the full service
The service has only ever offered a smaller selection of content compared to original US version of the streamer. That’s resulted in complaints from UK customers expecting to see a wider range of content, after seeing articles referring to shows on Peacock in the USA.
Sky UK hasn’t commented on the recent reduction of content on Peacock. Meanwhile, Sky Germany has insisted that Peacock will remain part of its portfolio.
Peacock and Sky share the same parent company, Comcast. Comcast is known to be seeking efficiencies within Sky. These are expected to result in cost-cutting exercises and the likely disposal of its German business.
A number of NBC Universal reality shows promised for Peacock continue to be available through Hayu. A selection of other NBC Universal content that’s been carried on Peacock in either the UK or USA is available to broadcasters through sub-licensing arrangements. This means recently removed content may appear elsewhere in the future. Superstore, for instance, is among the shows appearing on ITVX (following its broadcast on ITV2).
by Iain Hatton
Updated 19:41