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Comcast's Peacock Set for Launch With Free Subscription

Comcast CMCSA division NBCUniversal recently announced a multi-tiered pricing strategy for its new Peacock streaming service slated for launch on Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex video platforms on Apr 15, followed by a broader launch on Jul 15 in the United States.

Peacock’s offering includes a free, ad-supported tier limited to a range of 7500 hours of content. Additionally, a $4.99 premium, ad-supported tier with 15000 hours of Peacock content and an ad-free premium tier that will cost $9.99 per month are available. Notably, Peacock premium will be free for 24 million Comcast and Cox subscribers.

Comcast’s Differentiating Model for Peacock

Comcast hopes to attract advertisers through the vast customer data it gathers to target commercials based on viewers’ interests, including data from Comcast's cable TV set-top boxes.

Comcast’s hybrid business (both subscription and advertising) model is expected to be a key differentiator in an overcrowded streaming industry saturated with pure subscription services.

Comcast Corporation Price and Consensus

Comcast Corporation Price and Consensus
Comcast Corporation Price and Consensus

Comcast Corporation price-consensus-chart | Comcast Corporation Quote

Key brand sponsors like Target, Unilever, State Farm, and Eli Lilly have signed early advertising deals for Peacock, which are expected to generate millions of upfront advertising revenues for the company in the near term.

Notably, Comcast will invest $2 billion largely in technology, marketing and programming for Peacock in 2020 and 2021, and plans to break even by 2024, setting a target of 30-35 million active accounts by that time.

Comcast’s subscription free service is expected to strengthen viewership through Peacock’s compelling content quality, diversity and exclusivity, which will further drive ad monetization. Notably, Peacock will also include binge ads feature where sponsors will make the fourth episode ad-free once viewer watches three episodes of a show.

Peacock Free to Gain Subscriber Attention

Peacock Free will be available widely in the United States with next day access to current seasons of freshman broadcast series, classic series, movies, curated daily news and sports programming including the Olympics.

Spanish-language content including popular library titles 100 Dias Para Volver, Betty in NY, El Baron and Preso No. 1 will be available for free along with select episodes of Peacock original series.

Moreover, curated Peacock streaming genre channels such as SNL Vault, Family Movie Night and Olympic Profiles are part of Peacock’s free content library.

New original series from DreamWorks Animation will also stream on Peacock Free, including TrollsTopia, Madagascar: A Little Wild, The Mighty Ones, Cleopatra in Space and Where’s Waldo?.

Additionally, popular family film titles from DreamWorks, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Kids will be available on Peacock including Shrek, Shark Tale and Despicable Me.

Peacock’s Diverse Premium Content Library: A Key Catalyst

Peacock’s premium content slate includes full series of NBCUniversal shows such as 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation, complete seasons of Friday Night Lights and Frasier, reboots of Punky Brewster, Saved by the Bell and Battlestar Galactica, and shows licensed from other studios such as Married With Children.

Peacock’s slate of original drama and comedy includes a crime series podcast Dr. Death starring Alec Baldwin, and an adaptation of Brave New World with Demi Moore, Rutherford Falls starring Ed Helms and Girls5Eva produced by Tina Fey among others.

Additionally, Peacock will also stream Two and a Half Men and The George Lopez Show from AT & T’s T Warner Brothers and ViacomCBS VIAC owned Paramount Network’s hit series Yellowstone.

Moreover, a licensing deal with Lionsgate LGF.A will add movies such as John Wick, while the NBCUniversal owned Telemundo will provide 3,000 hours of Spanish-language original programming.

Fans will get exclusive early access to NBC’s acclaimed late night shows The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, followed by Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Notably, news and sports are also part of the offerings. Peacock’s sports streaming will include live programming, especially during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and few American and European golf tournaments.

Further, NBC News, Sky News, MSNBC and CNBC are a few brands under Peacock’s news programming. Users will have access to same-day broadcasts of NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and Meet the Press with Chuck Todd, live news channels such as NBC News Now, Sky News and NBC/Sky Global News (a new channel), clips featured from Today, CNBC, MSNBC, E! News, NBC Nightly News and original content from Meet the Press franchise.

Zacks Rank

Comcast currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here

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