“Peacock” is a streaming service owned by NBC Universal, comparable to “Netflix” and “Hulu.” Although the service was added to the network of streaming services April of 2020, much controversy has become of it. Consumers have not appreciated having to pay the seven dollar monthly fee for shows that they were either able to watch for free or on other services that they had already subscribed to.
Prior to the launch of “Peacock”, English Premier League soccer games were broadcast on NBC Sports, available to cable, satellite and telco TV providers. Once NBC came out with their exclusive streaming service, the number of available games to those that did not subscribe to “Peacock” was essentially cut in half. NBC went as far as airing some of the biggest games of the year, such as Liverpool vs. Manchester United, exclusively on their streaming service.
“I find it very annoying that a good amount of Premier League games aren’t on NBC Sports anymore. I used to be able to watch basically every single game but now that “Peacock” has been created, I’m sometimes not even able to watch my favorite team. It gets really frustrating for me and other viewers because we aren’t willing to pay the extra fee for games that used to be available to watch through our providers,” said Adam Shefet, senior.
“Peacock” has not only shaken up the sports world, but also the entertainment industry. Jan. 1, “The Office,” regarded by many students as their favorite show on “Netflix,” was moved to NBC’s streaming service. NBC, who owned the stream rights to the comedy series, allowed “Netflix’s” license to expire, knowing that the show would then be placed on “Peacock.” This transfer of streaming service has created a lot of unsettledness throughout the entertainment world, as many would rewatch “The Office” over and over again. “Peacock’s” monthly subscription fee is a bit too hefty for many who already are subscribed to other programs such as “Netflix,” “Hulu,” “HBO Max” and “Amazon Prime.”
“I can’t lie, when “The Office” was taken off of “Netflix” I was really upset. I’ve watched the series through three times and it never gets old. Now I have to decide between “Netflix” and “Peacock” because I don’t want to have to pay for both. I feel like it also annoyed a lot more people other than me, as I was talking to my friends about it when it occurred and we were all a bit disappointed by it,” said Ashley Lovenduski, senior.
On the other hand though, the rise of “Peacock” has drawn in an audience from around the world, whether it be soccer, WWE or comedy fans. As of Oct. 29, 2020, “Peacock” had accumulated a total of over 22 million subscribers, putting it well on pace to surpass its goal of 30-35 million sign-ups by 2024. The NBC streaming service intends to be competitive with other big brands such as “Netflix” and “Amazon Prime” but it has yet to be seen how many streaming consumers will switch over to Peacock from their original subscriptions.
“I think that it was a good investment opportunity for NBC to start up their own streaming service. Obviously it frustrates me and other consumers that aren’t able to watch everything we want but in terms of business I think that NBC made the right choice for their company,” said Shefet.
