Peacock TV

[edisonprime]

Yes, Hulu will be absorbed by Disney+, where it will live on as the adult-focused content hub right beside Disney+'s other hubs: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. It's already this way in various international markets, except the adult content hub is branded "Star" rather than "Hulu". They'll retain the Hulu brand here in the US, though (and maybe rebrand Star to Hulu internationally) -- it's built up a lot of brand equity since its debut back in 2008.

I remember the days when Star Wars comic books were published by Dark Horse Comics.

 

[Bruce]

I remember the days when Star Wars comic books were published by Dark Horse Comics.

And I remember the days when they were published by Marvel way before Dark Horse.

 

[edisonprime]

And I remember the days when they were published by Marvel way before Dark Horse.

Very true.

 

[edisonprime]

And I remember the days when they were published by Marvel way before Dark Horse.

I actually remember reading articles a while back a little while after Disney bought Lucasfilm about Star Wars returning to Marvel Comics since Disney owns that too.

 

[Bruce]

I actually remember reading articles a while back a little while after Disney bought Lucasfilm about Star Wars returning to Marvel Comics since Disney owns that too.

For years now, if you watched Boba Fett, the Wookiee, Black Krrsantan, originated in the comics years ago.

 

[edisonprime]

For years now, if you watched Boba Fett, the Wookiee, Black Krrsantan, originated in the comics years ago.

That I wasn't aware of.

 

[Bruce]

Comcast Customers will no longer get Peacock for free, now since what they get for Ads will go down ( less eyeballs watching), they will need to really start spending to grow the service to attract customers, sell it off or just let it die.

Selling it off is less likely since what is it without content from NBC Universal, if it is part of a bigger deal of just Comcast selling off Universal, I doubt that also, that kind off a deal requires a lot of money from the Banks and interest rates are too high for that kind of a deal.

We had a lot of mergers in the last 10-15 years, one of the big reasons was rates were so low, unless a company like Apple/Amazon, who have a lot of cash, wants Universal, I doubt there are too many interested buyers, specially since Universal is still quite profitable, that means Comcast will not let it go cheaply like AT&T did with Warner.

My guess is Comcast will just let it die, they know it will not grow and they are just unwilling to spend to do so.

They have probably come to understand they are better off being a content provider and can make the most money that way.

Comcast to End Peacock Premium Free Promotion for Xfinity Customers

Comcast plans to end the free access to Peacock Premium for Xfinity customers, according to NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell.

variety.com

 

[Juan]

Not yet..I am still waiting for broadband cap that was supposed to come last year..northeast seems to be exempt

 

[Bruce]

Not yet..I am still waiting for broadband cap that was supposed to come last year..northeast seems to be exempt

What does that have to do with Xfinity Customers losing free Peacock?

 

[Juan]

What does that have to do with Xfinity Customers losing free Peacock?

If you actually read the article..the exec said somewhere in the future...the actual comcast re psaid they have no plans to do it at this time...so basically its a clickbate title on the article

 

[Bruce]

If you actually read the article..the exec said somewhere in the future...the actual comcast re psaid they have no plans to do it at this time...so basically its a clickbate title on the article

He just said it yesterday, in the corporate world, that means very soon, I would guess in the next couple of months, you just do not put stuff like that out there because it affects things like stock prices and what investors think.

He also said something totally wrong in the same speech-

“In two years, we’ve basically caught up to Paramount, and they’ve been at it 7-8 years,” he said.

Paramount+ has over 40 million, all paying, Peacock has 28 million, of which only 13 million pay.

 

[Juan]

He just said it yesterday, in the corporate world, that means very soon, I would guess in the next couple of months, you just do not put stuff like that out there because it affects things like stock prices and what investors think.

He also said something totally wrong in the same speech-

“In two years, we’ve basically caught up to Paramount, and they’ve been at it 7-8 years,” he said.

Paramount+ has over 40 million, all paying, Peacock has 28 million, of which only 13 million pay.

He didn't actually say it...he said someday..



Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, said that making Peacock available to Comcast cable and broadband customers for no extra charge helped the fledgling streamer achieve traction after it launched in mid-2020, speaking Tuesday at the Credit Suisse 24th Annual Communications Conference. However, “At some point we’ll roll that to paid,” Shell said

 

[NashGuy]

Comcast Customers will no longer get Peacock for free, now since what they get for Ads will go down ( less eyeballs watching), they will need to really start spending to grow the service to attract customers, sell it off or just let it die.

Selling it off is less likely since what is it without content from NBC Universal, if it is part of a bigger deal of just Comcast selling off Universal, I doubt that also, that kind off a deal requires a lot of money from the Banks and interest rates are too high for that kind of a deal.

We had a lot of mergers in the last 10-15 years, one of the big reasons was rates were so low, unless a company like Apple/Amazon, who have a lot of cash, wants Universal, I doubt there are too many interested buyers, specially since Universal is still quite profitable, that means Comcast will not let it go cheaply like AT&T did with Warner.

My guess is Comcast will just let it die, they know it will not grow and they are just unwilling to spend to do so.

They have probably come to understand they are better off being a content provider and can make the most money that way.

Comcast to End Peacock Premium Free Promotion for Xfinity Customers

Comcast plans to end the free access to Peacock Premium for Xfinity customers, according to NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell.

variety.com

You could be right that Comcast ends up keeping NBCU because they can't find a buyer. Rising interest rates do make structuring a deal more challenging. Although keep in mind that Comcast recently came pretty close to striking a deal with Electronic Arts that would have seen NBCU spun off and merged with that company to be a standalone media group.

So I have to think that Comcast CEO Roberts will continue to look for such a deal. The big Sun Valley confab -- "summer camp for media moguls" -- is coming up in July. I suspect Roberts will have some interesting conversations there. Worth noting that Paramount's biggest shareholder Shari Redstone is on the guest list again this year too.

But if Comcast ends up keeping NBCU for the next few years, I suspect that they'll do away with the paid and ad-free tiers of Peacock and make it a pure FAST, their answer to Paramount's Pluto TV and Fox's Tubi. They might be able to sell off some of those Peacock Originals to other SVODs who want to continue them there. But what they can't sell of those will just become free on Peacock. Heck, NBCU might continue to make a couple of them if they can do it cheaply enough, just as other FASTs are making original content. The rest of the content in Peacock's premium tier -- mainly movies -- would get licensed out to whoever will pay them the most for it between Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max, and Paramount+.

As for next-day access to current NBC shows, they might look to license that out to someone. Would Disney be willing to shell out a little cash to keep that on Hulu? But it might be on a non-exclusive basis. NBCU might decide they can get more total money by also streaming those recent NBC shows for free on Peacock to increase ad revenue, just the same as The CW has always done with their free app.

As for those sports that now live stream on Peacock, IDK. Hard to say whether they'd look to make that stuff exclusive to their linear channels, to prop up revenue from cable subscriptions, or if they'd license out the streaming rights to others like ESPN+, Paramount+, etc.

 

[Bruce]

Peacock needs some shows that will draw Customers like Paramount+ has with Star Trek and others, my guess is they are already starting to give up on it.

In Comcast’s Q2 earnings call today, NBCUniversal reported that Peacock user numbers have remained “relatively flat” at 13 million

This is how they think will fix it-

Comcast is optimistic about the remainder of the year due to new releases and more live events coming to streaming “At NBCUniversal, terrific results at theme parks fueled our growth in the quarter, and we expect our recent premieres and planned slate of content and live events from our media and studios businesses, including Jurassic World: Dominion, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Nope, Sunday Night Football and The World Cup, to make significant contributions later this year, including to our subscriber growth at Peacock,” the earnings report says.

So, no original programing, just stuff already shown on other services, for example, already seen Jurassic World 3, watched it on Vudu 2 weeks ago, so Comcast will put it on Peacock after all the Digital Sales.

Unlike Disney and Paramount, who puts films on their service the same day they are for digital sale, now which services are gaining subs in the millions, not Peacock.

Also, Universal has a incredible library they could use and mine content from, again they just seem they do not want to put the big money and time to make Peacock a success.

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/peacock-paid-subscriber-count-remains-at-13m/?source=home

 

[Yespage]

I think Peacock doesn't want to get trapped in the programming trap. It costs a good deal to produce content.

 

[Bruce]

I think Peacock doesn't want to get trapped in the programming trap. It costs a good deal to produce content.

Then they will never grow and start to lose subs.

Look at what Paramount+ has done with mining their library, now over 50 million paying subs ( vs peacock, the majority of subs get it for free).

Remember when it was just CBS All Access, most thought the service was a joke, then after the merger with Viacom they started putting money into the service and it is now making over $3 Billion a year ( average of $5 per sub a month times 50 million times 12 months).

I have no idea what Paramount+ gets from running ads, Hulu, I read, gets anywhere from $10-14 per sub in Advertising Revenue, so whatever Paramount gets would add to the total above.

When Discovery+( which is all stuff that already aired on Traditional TV) has twice the paid subscribers then Peacock shows that Comcast is doing something wrong with it.

 

[NashGuy]

Versus NBCUniversal, Paramount is doing a much better job this year, both with their theatrical releases as well as growing their streamer, Paramount+. I still don't think it's big enough to go the distance as-is but they're doing the most with what they've got, for now.

NBCU is investing more into content for Peacock -- originals; sports, reality, news and other content shared from their linear channels; plus recent and same-day theatrical movies -- but it's not breaking through in terms of more paying subscribers. Perhaps becoming the exclusive home of all current and certain classic NBC shows this fall will help boost it but, to be honest, I think Peacock is a case of "too little, too late" in the streaming wars.

By the end of next year, if not sooner, I think we'll see one or both of the following happen.

• Comcast turns Peacock into a pure FAST (free ad-supported TV) app, getting rid of its premium tiers and slashing the amount they invest in it. It will then be their direct competitor to Pluto TV, Tubi and Freevee. This move will free NBCU up to license most/all of Peacock's current premium content to other companies' SVODs, just as Sony does, which will pull in a lot more revenue than Peacock gets from subscription sales now.
• They sell NBCU, including Peacock, probably to another media company that will use that content to enlarge their existing SVOD. The two most likely candidates to acquire or merge with NBCU continue to be Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.

 

[Don in CT]

The problem with Peacock is if you have a cable subscription you get it for free.

 

[mwdxer1]

The problem with Peacock is if you have a cable subscription you get it for free.

I still have Dish, but apparently only cable is included to get Peacock free.

 

[Don in CT]

I still have Dish, but apparently only cable is included to get Peacock free

Comcast licenses their technology to other cable providers.