NBCUniversal has secured a deal with Lionsgate-owned Starz to host its content on the upcoming streaming service known as Peacock.
This means that movie franchises like The Hunger Games, Saw, Rambo, John Wick, Divergent, and more will be available to watch on the new streaming service, according to CNBC. Original Starz shows like Outlander, American Gods, and Vida would also be a part of Peacock’s library of content.
“We look forward to continuing our long-standing partnership with [NBCUniversal parent] Comcast to deliver great content and great value to our customers,” Starz President and CEO Jeffrey Hirsch said in a statement to CNBC. “Our ongoing relationship with Comcast reflects our ability to unlock opportunities across all of our businesses to the benefit of our subscribers.”
Lionsgate and Starz content will join other NBC shows on the platform like The Office, Cheers, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, and all 44 seasons of Saturday Night Live. Peacock will also include content from other NBCUniversal properties, including networks like CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, USA, E!, the Golf Channel, and more.
Peacock is also expected to feature an extensive library of movies from the film vaults of Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation, and Illumination Entertainment. This would include film favorites like American Pie, Bridesmaids, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Shrek, Back to the Future, and more.
NBC is aiming to debut Peacock in April 2020, and according to CNBC, the network plans to announce final details about the streaming service on January 16.
So far, we know that Peacock will debut with about 15,000 hours of content and will be made available in both ad-supported and subscription-based formats. There is nothing confirmed about specific pricing details yet, but other streaming services range from $6 to $15 a month.
Peacock will join the increasingly crowded video streaming service field that includes popular competitors like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and the newly unveiled Apple TV+ and Disney+.
It faces an uphill climb I terms of paid subscriber numbers as Netflix boasts 60 million, Hulu has 28 million, and Disney+ already has an estimated 22 million.
AT&T’s WarnerMedia also announced its own direct-to-consumer video service called HBO Max, which is set to also arrive in spring 2020.
