Two weeks after its nationwide launch, NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service has accumulated 10 million free and paid users, reports The Verge.
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"NBCUniversal successfully launched Peacock in Cable's footprint in April, ahead of the streaming service's U.S. nationwide launch earlier this month, with 10 million sign-ups to date," Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts stated during the earnings report. "The company is really trying to lean into streaming," he said. "I'm pretty excited as the world is transitioning… broadband is making that all possible."
It was a positive announcement among otherwise disappointing second-quarter earnings, as the company continues to struggle with the impact of the global situation on entertainment divisions. Peacock is a key part of NBCUniversal's restructuring, in which it will "shift resources from linear to streaming," according to NBCU CEO Jeff Shell.
The service showcases NBC shows such as "30 Rock," "Cheers," "Downton Abbey," and "Saturday Night Live," with live sporting events such as the English Premier League and the U.S. Open Championship.
Peacock was considered a late entrant to the crowded streaming service market, but has surpassed HBO Max, which has drawn 4.1 million subscribers since its launch in May. HBO Max does not have a free tier like Peacock, however. While Peacock has pleased executives with its performance, Comcast's home internet and cable segment lost 477,000 video subscribers.
Apple's rival service, Apple TV+, has been reported to have had slow growth, and it is estimated that fewer than 15 percent of eligible customers have signed up, despite the offer of a one-year free trial with the purchase of Apple hardware. Apple does not report subscriber numbers.
Like HBO Max, Peacock is not available on Amazon Fire TV or Roku. Peacock is available on iOS and Apple TV, and operates with both a free and a premium tier.
Update: This article has been updated to make clearer that the count includes users on both free and paid tiers.
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Comparing a paid service's 4.1M subscribers to an unknown number of paid subscribers in a 10M base is like comparing apples to rocks ('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Lie_with_Statistics').Peacock was considered a late entrant to the crowded streaming service market, but has surpassed HBO Max, which has drawn 4.1 million subscribers since its launch in May ('https://www.macrumors.com/2020/05/27/hbo-max-now-available-on-apple-tv-and-ios-devices/').