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Peacock (streaming service)

American video streaming service

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Founded on April 15, 2020, and launched on July 15, 2020, the service primarily carries television shows and films from NBCUniversal brands and other third-party content providers, as well as original series, films, and specials. It is the main streaming outlet of the NBC Sports and Telemundo Deportes divisions, carrying simulcasts of specified events with NBC and Spanish sister network Telemundo. Sports broadcasts, and supplemental coverage not carried on linear television round out its content.

Peacock was initially offered in free, "Premium", and "Premium Plus" plans. The free version offered a limited selection of content, while Premium Plus offered ad-free video on-demand content and streaming of NBC affiliates; since January 2023, the free tier is no longer available as an option to new customers unless their subscription lapses. As of July 2026, Peacock had 48 million paid subscribers.

History

On January 14, 2019, NBCUniversal announced plans to launch an over-the-top streaming service in 2020, which would feature original and library content, and be available in free advertising-supported and paid ad-free versions. The service would be under the NBCUniversal Direct-to-Consumer and Digital Enterprises division.

On September 17, 2019, it was announced that the service would be named "Peacock", an allusion to the NBC logo. The service announced further details on its initial slate of original programming, including sci-fi series Brave New World (moved from USA Network's slate), limited series Angelyne, crime drama Dr. Death, comedy Rutherford Falls, teen drama One of Us Is Lying, talk show The Amber Ruffin Show, and reboots and continuations of Battlestar Galactica, Punky Brewster, and Saved by the Bell. It was also announced that library rights to the NBC sitcoms The Office and Parks and Recreation would move exclusively to Peacock in October 2020 and January 2021, respectively.

Peacock soft launched for Comcast Xfinity cable subscribers on April 15, 2020, beginning with X1 and Xfinity Flex customers. The service then launched nationally on July 15 of that year.

As of August 2021, the service had reached at least 54 million signups. In April 2022, the service reached 28 million monthly active accounts and 13 million paid subscribers, an increase of 40% from the previous quarter. It also reported a 25% increase in engagement year-over-year. In September 2022, the service had 30 million monthly active accounts and 15 million paid subscribers, a 70% increase in paid subscribers since the start of 2022. As of December 2022, the service had reached 20 million paid subscribers, with its coverage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Spanish having been credited for an increase in the fourth quarter of 2022.

In January 2024, Peacock added 3 million new subscribers due to its exclusive National Football League Wild Card broadcast, and achieved the most-streamed event in U.S. history, with an average of 23 million viewers. In April 2024, WrestleMania XL became Peacock's most-streamed entertainment event, with the service reporting its second-highest usage behind the exclusive NFL broadcast. In August 2024, Peacock similarly added 2.8 million subscribers during the first week of the 2024 Summer Olympics. A Comcast filing stated that Peacock had 33 million paid subscribers prior to the Olympics.

In January 2026, the streamer posted losses of $552 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, increased from $372 million during the final quarter of 2024. By the first quarter of 2026, Peacock reported that losses had narrowed to $432 million, with more than 46 million paid subscribers.

On May 11, 2026, Peacock modified its 2020 logo, aiming to make the logo more scalable, primarily on mobile. The new logo saw the removal of one dot from the stacked element aiming to reduce visual clutter, a change in the color of the remaining five dots into a gradient, elimination of the two distinct notches in the lower art of the "p" and right side of the "k", and make the peacock feather shape inside the "p" read a bit more like a feather. The new logo made an early appearance during the coverage of MLB Sunday Leadoff.

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