Streaming service’s debut will be battered by pandemic, but execs now shifting focus towards bigger 2021
No streaming service saw its plans more greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic than NBCUniversal. It’s a small miracle that Peacock will be able to make its early mini-launch on Wednesday — just for Comcast subscribers — as well as its July 15 nationwide debut.
“Even though we now have 100% of the Peacock team working from home around the globe,” NBCU executive Matt Strauss told reporters on Tuesday, “we have been able to maintain our timeline.”
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NBCU originally planned to tie Peacock’s big, national rollout to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in July. That’s now the 2021 Olympics. A few months ago, Peacock executives touted an expansive originals slate that included a “Battlestar Galactica” remake, new versions of classic sitcoms “Saved by the Bell” and “Punky Brewster” and an adaptation of Aldux Huxley’s “Brave New World.” Then the pandemic shuttered all Hollywood productions, leaving Peacock’s cupboard almost bare. The ensuing “shelter-in-place” orders enacted around the world forced the people responsible for bringing the streaming service to life to adapt to a remote-work environment.
And yet, with the pandemic forcing everyone to stay inside their homes, there’s arguably never been a more opportune time to give viewers even more content to watch. Nielsen reported that over the first three weeks of March, the amount of minutes streamed was up 85% compared to last year. Comcast added that on-demand viewing was up 50% compared to a year ago.
Also Read: NBCUniversal 'Evaluating' Early Nationwide Launch for Peacock But Still 'On Track' For July Debut
The pandemic has forced NBCU executives to shift their thinking toward 2021. Next year — assuming the health crisis is more maintained and sports can return to the field, at least in some fashion — Peacock is set to get a massive influx of games. The expanded NFL playoff format will put an extra game on NBC, which will be simulcast on Peacock in January 2021 — assuming there’s a full season of games, of course. NBC will then have the now-2021 Tokyo Olympics that summer, followed six months later by the 2022 Winter Olympics from Beijing, which will have its Opening Ceremonies just days before NBC’s coverage of Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles.
“What is postponed in 2020, will come back to us even bigger in 2021,” Strauss said.
But that means that 2020 will probably be a more lean year than NBCU had initially expected back in January when it unveiled Peacock at “Saturday Night Live” studio 8H in front of investors. Especially since it will have to contend with as many as eight different streaming competitors, including the newly-launched Quibi and HBO Max, which is set to roll out next month. Disney+ is quickly becoming a power player, having already amassed 50 million subscribers within its first five months.
The Olympics were supposed to give Peacock a massive (and free) promotional platform, as well as a programming peg. But now the marketing team has to rethink its strategy, which Strauss said is well underway. “We’ve already developed a revised marketing plan that recoups the vast majority of the promotional impressions that we had planned during the summer,” he said. “And this will allow us to stay the course with really little to no impact on our marketing targets in 2020.”
Also Read: Streaming Era's 2nd Wave: Will 'Shelter-at-Home' Orders Give New Services a Leg Up?
Unlike most other streaming services, Peacock will include advertising. Strauss said that the 18-month deals with launch partners like Capital One, L’Oreal, Molson Coors, Subaru and Verizon helped the company maintain its pre-pandemic revenue forecasts. In January, Comcast executives said they expected the service to bring in $2.5 billion in annual revenue and break even by the end of 2024, with between 30 million and 35 million active users within that same timeframe.
That would put Peacock on par with the current audience base of Hulu, which reported a little more than 30 million subscribers back in February. CBS All Access and Showtime OTT, which report their subscribers together, have just over 10 million. Disney+, which is now available in more than a dozen territories, is outperforming its own expectations, nearly reaching its five-year goal within five months. Meanwhile, Netflix has more than 60 million subscribers in the U.S. alone.
But Peacock is relying more heavily on advertising, which gives it a dual revenue stream. Peacock will offer three tiers of service, two of them buttressed by advertising.
The pandemic has also impacted the slate of Peacock’s original programming, most of which will now be rolling out in 2021, the same time popular NBC sitcom “The Office” moves over from Netflix. “This will materially limit our originals slate at launch in 2020,” Strauss admitted. “We’re all really unclear on exactly when certain things are going to go back to normal and we’re going to be able to pick up where we left off.”
One of Peacock’s buzziest projects, the adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World,” is “essentially done,” along with the upcoming “Psych” movie, “Lassie Come Home.” Along with those two, Strauss said the “Punky Brewster” revival and reboot of “Saved by the Bell” are still on track to debut later this year. “We feel optimistic that we can also have those available as well for 2020, in addition to a few others.”
But for the time being, Peacock will have to hope its viewers can be satisfied with early previews of “Tonight Show” and “SNL” reruns.
Spring TV 2020: Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows (Photos)
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Showtime/Netflix/ABC/Apple
Spring has been sprung for quite a while now and with the changing of the seasons came the changing of many channels as a slew of new shows began to premiere. In honor of the months that bring showers and flowers, TheWrap has rounded up the start dates for not just the new and returning shows on Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS and The CW, but also the ones for the eagerly-anticipated series hitting cable channels and streaming services this spring. Click through our gallery to find out when your favorite spring shows will be back and when your (possible) new favorites will debut.
Also Read: Fall TV 2020: Every Broadcast Show Canceled, Renewed and Ordered – So Far (Updating)
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Fox
Series: "Celebrity Watch Party" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Thursday, May 7 Time: 8 p.m.
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Netflix
Series: "The Eddy" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, May 8 Time: N/A
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Hulu
Series: "Solar Opposites" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, May 8 Time: N/A
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Netflix
Series: "Dead to Me" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, May 8 Time: N/A
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HBO
Series: "I Know This Much Is True" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, May 10 Time: 9 p.m.
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TBS
Series: "The Misery Index" Net: TBS Premiere Date: Thursday, May 14 Time: 10:30 p.m.
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Hulu
Series: "The Great" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, May 15 Time: N/A
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Netflix
Series: "She-Ra and the Princess of Power" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, May 15 Time: N/A
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Discovery
Series: "Bering Sea Gold" Net: Discovery Premiere Date: Friday, May 15 Time: 8 p.m.
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Starz
Series: "Hightown" Net: Starz Premiere Date: Sunday, May 17 Time: 8 p.m.
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TNT
Series: "Snowpiercer" Net: TNT Premiere Date: Sunday, May 17 Time: 9 p.m.
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Netflix
Series: "The Big Flower Fight" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Monday, May 18 Time: N/A
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DC Universe
Series: "Stargirl" Net: DC Universe Premiere Date: Monday, May 18 Time: N/A
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The CW
Series: "The 100" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 20 Time: 8 p.m.
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Lifetime
Series: "Married at First Sight: Couples Cam" Net: Lifetime Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 20 Time: 8 p.m.
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Fox
Series: "Ultimate Tag" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 20 Time: 9 p.m.
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CNBC
Series: "Jay Leno's Garage" Net: CNBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 20 Time: 10 p.m.
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The CW
Series: "Burden of Truth" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Thursday, May 21 Time: 8 p.m.
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Fox
Series: "Labor of Love" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Thursday, May 21 Time: 9 p.m.
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ABC
Series: "Holey Moley" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, May 21 Time: 9 p.m.
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ABC
Series: "To Tell the Truth" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, May 21 Time: 10 p.m.
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Netflix
Series: "Selling Sunset" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: May, 22 Time: N/A
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Amazon Prime Video
Series: "Homecoming" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, May 22 Time: N/A
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Discovery
Series: "Naked & Afraid XL" Net: Discovery Premiere Date: Sunday, May 24 Time: 8 p.m.
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NBC
Series: "The Titan Games" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, May 25 Time: 8 p.m.
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NBC
Series: "America's Got Talent" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, May 26 Time: 8 p.m.
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NBC
Series: "World of Dance" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, May 26 Time: 10 p.m.
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HBO Max
Series: "Craftopia" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 27 Time: N/A
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HBO Max
Series: "Legendary" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 27 Time: N/A
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HBO Max
Series: "Looney Tunes Cartoons" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 27 Time: N/A
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HBO Max
Series: "The Not Too Late Show With Elmo" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 27 Time: N/A
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HBO Max
Series: "Love Life" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 27 Time: N/A
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CBS
Series: "Game On!" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 27 Time: 8 p.m.
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ABC
Series: "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 27 Time: 10 p.m.
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Apple TV+
Series: "Central Park" Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, May 29 Time: N/A
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Netflix
Series: "Space Force" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, May 29 Time: N/A
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Hulu
Series: "Ramy" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, May 29 Time: N/A
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ABC
Series: "Celebrity Family Feud" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, May 31 Time: 8 p.m.
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ABC
Series: "Press Your Luck" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, May 31 Time: 9 p.m.
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ABC
Series: "Match Game" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, May 31 Time: 10 p.m.
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AMC
Series: "Quiz" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, May 31 Time: 10 p.m.
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TLC
Series: "90 Day Fiance: The Other Way" Net: TLC Premiere Date: Monday, June 1 Time: 9 p.m.
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AMC/BBC America
Series: "NOS4A2" Net: AMC/BBC America Premiere Date: Monday, June 1 Time: 10 p.m.
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Netflix
Series: "Fuller House" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Tuesday, June 2 Time: N/A
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ABC
Series: "The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable - Ever!" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Tuesday, June 2 Time: 8 p.m.
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USA Network
Series: "Dirty John" Net: USA Network Premiere Date: Tuesday, June 2 Time: 9 p.m.
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Showtime
Series: "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Friday, June 5 Time: 8 p.m.
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HBO
Series: "I May Destroy You" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, June 7 Time: 10:30 p.m.
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Spectrum
Series: "L.A.'s Finest" Net: Spectrum Premiere Date: Monday, June 8 Time: N/A
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ABC
Series: "Don't" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, June 11 Time: 9 p.m.
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Netflix
Series: "Pokemon Journeys The Series" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, June 12 Time: N/A
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Hulu
Series: "Love, Victor" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, June 19 Time: N/A
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Hulu
Series: "Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, June 19 Time: N/A
Here’s when 53 broadcast, cable and streaming series debut and come back
Spring has been sprung for quite a while now and with the changing of the seasons came the changing of many channels as a slew of new shows began to premiere. In honor of the months that bring showers and flowers, TheWrap has rounded up the start dates for not just the new and returning shows on Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS and The CW, but also the ones for the eagerly-anticipated series hitting cable channels and streaming services this spring. Click through our gallery to find out when your favorite spring shows will be back and when your (possible) new favorites will debut.
Also Read: Fall TV 2020: Every Broadcast Show Canceled, Renewed and Ordered – So Far (Updating)
Tim Baysinger
TV Reporter • tim.baysinger@thewrap.com • Twitter: @tim_bays