NBCUniversal is letting its peacock feathers fly. The company announced Tuesday that its forthcoming streaming service will be named Peacock and will be available in April 2020.
Peacock will feature reboots of classic TV series “Battlestar Galactica,” “Saved By the Bell” and “Punky Brewster,” along with new comedies from Mike Schur, Rashida Jones and an adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.” An “SNL” docuseries from Lorne Michaels, a Jimmy Fallon talk show, a late night series with “Late Night’s” Amber Ruffin, and another “Real Housewives” spinoff are also coming to the service. Additionally, Peacock will house a vast content library that includes former NBC sitcoms “The Office,” “Parks & Recreation,” “30 Rock,” “Cheers” and “Frasier.”
Peacock will be launching around the same time as WarnerMedia’s own streaming offering, HBO Max, and some five months after Apple TV+ and Disney+, both of which are set to debut in November.
“The name Peacock pays homage to the quality content that audiences have come to expect from NBCUniversal – whether it’s culture-defining dramas from innovative creators like Sam Esmail, laugh-out-loud comedies from legends like Lorne Michaels and Mike Schur, blockbusters from Universal Pictures, or buzzy unscripted programming from the people who do it best at Bravo and E!,” said Bonnie Hammer, Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and Digital Enterprises. “Peacock will be the go-to place for both the timely and timeless – from can’t-miss Olympic moments and the 2020 election, to classic fan favorites like ‘The Office’.”
On the film side, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation will develop original films and animated series. Peacock will also house Universal’s and Focus Features’ film library including “American Pie,” “Bridesmaids,” “Back to the Future,” “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial” and “Jaws.”
NBCU’s streaming service had been shrouded in mystery, with only a few titles known to be coming to the service including the third season of “A.P. Bio” and reruns of popular NBC sitcom “The Office.” UCP’s “Queer as Folk” reboot and “One of Us is Lying” had also moved their development over to Peacock from Bravo and E!, respectively.
A specific price point and launch date will be announced later. NBCU previously said that Peacock will be available for free to TV subscribers and, unlike HBO Max and Disney+, will be advertiser-supported.
Existing licensing deals with Netflix and Hulu will mean that some of Peacock’s upcoming library content will not be available until after it launches. For example, when NBCU previously announced it would have “The Office” on the service, it noted that the former sitcom wouldn’t hit Peacock until 2021, after its current deal with Netflix expires. “Parks & Recreation,” which is also set at Netflix, will come to Peacock in Fall of 2020, an individual with knowledge of the service tells TheWrap.
NBCU is launching Peacock a few months ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, which begin July 24, 2020 and run through Aug. 9. That not only gives NBCU a major promotional platform to promote the service, but Peacock will also feature Olympics content, though what exactly that means is not yet decided. Since 2012, NBC has offered every single Olympics event live on its NBC Sports streaming platform, with a curated tape-delayed broadcast in primetime on the NBC broadcast network.
A full list of Peacock’s content slate can be found here.