NBCUniversal’s new streaming service Peacock will launch without most of its exclusive content

With movie theatres around the world having shut down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and people hungry for on-demand content as opposed to waiting for it to show on network television, it makes sense that streaming platforms are emerging as the future of network entertainment. As lucrative as streaming might appear to be, it can already be argued that there might be too many players on the market with the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney+ all competing alongside new offerings from DC, Apple and WarnerMedia’s HBOMax. And those are just the big international offerings as domestically we have the likes of Showmax and DStv Now playing in that space.

This influx of streaming services is not stopping each and every studio wanting a slice of the pie though and the next challenger on the market is NBCUniversal, who are set to release their Peacock platform in the US on July 15. The only problem is that according to Variety, most of the anticipated original series planned for the service has been delayed with the likes of Dr. Death starring Christian Slater, comedy Rutherford Falls, Angelyne, and Tina Fey’s Girls5Eva all expected to release next year. Other anticipated shows like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Psych 2: Lassie Came Home, and reboots of Saved by the Bell and Punky Brewster will only arrive later this year. In fact, NBC Universal has suspended production on a total of 35 TV shows as a result of the pandemic, including big shows like Law & Order: SVU and Chicago Fire.

Despite all this, NBCUniversal is still going ahead with the official launch and are still optimistic that the new service will be a success.

To be fair, Peacock does have a wide variety of established older content ready to stream that makes it an exciting prospect with many hit shows like Two and a Half Men, Parks and Recreation, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Office all moving to the streaming service in the near future. Along with other movie franchises like Jurassic Park, Shrek and the massive Fast Saga films to help pad out its library.

There are no plans yet for Peacock to release in South Africa meaning that for the near future we will still get this content through one of the other local services, but if it ever does release here, things are certainly going to feel cluttered on the streaming front with only so much subscription money to go around.  

Last Updated: April 16, 2020