NBCUniversal has just announced that its new streaming service – Peacock – will be available in April 2020 with over 15,000 hours of content.
Among that content will be movies from Universal Pictures, Focus Features and DreamWorks Animation as well as new series from creators Mike Schur (known for his work on The Good Place) and Sam Esmail (known for his work on Mr. Robot).
Interestingly, according to a press release sent to The Verge, Schur will be in charge of the reboot of Punky Brewster while Esmail will be handling the reboot of Battlestar Galactica.
In addition to movies and new TV series, Peacock will also “deliver a broad range of compelling topical content across news, sports, late-night and reality”, which makes sense considering its programming lineup includes shows like Dateline, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live and American Ninja Warrior.
NBCUniversal did not announce a set price for the service, but did say that it will likely have both paid and ad-supported tiers with exact pricing to be announced closer to Peacock's release date.
The Battle(star) is (Punky)Brewing
If you're counting, Peacock is now the third major streaming service announced within the last six months after Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus. It follows in the footsteps of CBS All-Access, a service that launched in 2014, and precedes the announcement of HBO Max, a new streaming service from HBO.
Needless to say, NBC is entering a crowded field amongst some tough competition.
That said, however, NBC is one of the more dominant forces in US television, and a dedicated streaming service with cult classic reboots could help bridge the gap to cable-cutters and so-called cable-nevers that are unlikely to ever subscribe to a cable package or buy an HD antenna.
Will Peacock be able to overcome the competition? We'll find out in April of next year.
- Until then, here's a list of the best streaming services
