NBC's 'Peacock' app could have live television streams when launched

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NBCUniversal's rival to Apple TV+ will differentiate itself from competitors by providing instant video, a report claims, with users of 'Peacock' potentially seeing live streams from NBC channels or other content as soon as they sign into the app.




Supposedly mimicking the instant availability of turning on a television, Peacock could provide live content from the moment the user opens the app up on their device, people familiar with the service in its current state suggest. The live video could stem from the free NBC News Now streaming service, or from other channels.

The instantly viewable video may not necessarily be live, as sources of CNBC claim it could also be an in-progress show that would normally be available on demand. There is no guarantee that the feature will make it into the final product when it goes live, as multiple versions of the app and service are currently being trialled.

NBCUniversal is currently expected to launch Peacock in April 2020, when it will compete directly against already established services like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Instant Video, and Apple TV .

In November, it was reported that Peacock may differentiate itself further by providing its users with multiple tiers of service. Alongside an ad-supported free version, users could pay to eliminate advertising, with December reports proposing a $10 ad-free tier along with a $5 plan with reduced advertising.

The free tier may not include all of the available catalog, with one informant believing the full series of "The Office" won't be available to those users. It is likely limiting the reach of content will be used as a way to convince customers to subscribe to the service on a paid tier.

The exception will be for Comcast subscribers, which will have access to the entire library, but with limited advertising. Other pay-TV companies may also be able to offer the ad-supported version of Peacock as part of a cable subscription down the line, but a source mentioned it would require the use of "back-end authentication technology verification" that has yet to be implemented.

Revealed in September, Peacock will offer more than 15,000 hours of content to subscribers, including shows from its extensive archive and original programming, such as reboots of "Saved by the Bell" and "Punky Brewster."

One set of content that may be missing from the service is Olympic coverage, a report source claimed. Executives in NBCUniversal are apparently concerned with maintaining the value of sports rights and similar content, which in turn helps prop up fees for its network and cable channels in pay-TV systems.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 29
    Network TV should all begin to offer shows with outtakes or extended versions of their shows for streaming. There’s no FCC telling these people what they can and cannot do once they’re free of the rules of broadcasting.
  • Reply 2 of 29
    I am so excited I could burst! /s
    macguianantksundaram
  • Reply 3 of 29
    I can't muster any interest. (Note: a group of Peacocks is called a Muster. A group of Peahens is called a Bevy.)
    gatorguyrandominternetpersonanantksundaram
  • Reply 4 of 29
    Peak streaming is here. Few want to pay for more than one or two services. 

    There's a reason torrenting is rising.
  • Reply 5 of 29
    My god, that's really the name?  I thought that was just a joke I read on reddit.
  • Reply 6 of 29
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,145member
    Appleish said:
    Peak streaming is here. Few want to pay for more than one or two services. 

    There's a reason torrenting is rising.
    Not quite NSFW: https://leasticoulddo.com/comic/20191104

    Yup…
  • Reply 7 of 29
    davgregdavgreg Posts: 1,046member
    CBS All Access already offers live streaming of your local station , the CBSN streaming news channel, the CBS Sports streaming channel, Entertainment Tonight streaming, CBSN New York (New York local news channel) , CBSN LA (Los Angeles local news channel)  plus on demand streaming of current CBS shows and a large library of classic TV.

    Otherwise NBC is late to the game and is not offering anything different.
  • Reply 8 of 29
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,628member
    davgreg said:
    CBS All Access already offers live streaming of your local station , the CBSN streaming news channel, the CBS Sports streaming channel, Entertainment Tonight streaming, CBSN New York (New York local news channel) , CBSN LA (Los Angeles local news channel)  plus on demand streaming of current CBS shows and a large library of classic TV.

    Otherwise NBC is late to the game and is not offering anything different.
    Heck even YouTube TV does that, including the option of "start from the beginning" if you've missed a little part of the show. Doesn't sound like NBC will be bringing anything new to streaming with the possible exception of no ads when streaming live network content but I don't think that's what they'd be doing anyway. The only way I see it working is a cloud-based DVR-like stream with the commercial time stripped away. Otherwise you'd ahve to put something in the commercials place as filler until the show started back.

    So If that's what they'll do it's again another thing some other services do now including the aforementioned YouTube TV, ads stripped away from much of the previously streamed catalog stuff and cloud-DVR'd content can skip past the commercials. 
    edited December 2019
  • Reply 9 of 29
    davgreg said:
    CBS All Access already offers live streaming of your local station , the CBSN streaming news channel, the CBS Sports streaming channel, Entertainment Tonight streaming, CBSN New York (New York local news channel) , CBSN LA (Los Angeles local news channel)  plus on demand streaming of current CBS shows and a large library of classic TV.

    Otherwise NBC is late to the game and is not offering anything different.
    CBS live streaming is available on DirecTV’s app. NBC is not. Hopefully this means it will be soon.
  • Reply 10 of 29
    Appleish said:
    Peak streaming is here. Few want to pay for more than one or two services. 

    There's a reason torrenting is rising.
    Few may want to pay for more than one or two but most will.  I'm currently paying for 3 and will temporarily add each of three others to get the content I want.  Peacock isn't one of those 6.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 29
    mknelson said:
    Appleish said:
    Peak streaming is here. Few want to pay for more than one or two services. 

    There's a reason torrenting is rising.
    Not quite NSFW: https://leasticoulddo.com/comic/20191104

    Yup…
    The reason why that comic has it all wrong is that with cable you couldn't swap channels in and out on a month to month basis with a few clicks/taps.  
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 12 of 29
    Fascinating. With CBS All Access and now “Peacock,” they have figured out the model for how the long-desired a-la-carte version of cable tv can be both terrible and much more expensive at the same time!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 29
    johnnash said:
    My god, that's really the name?  I thought that was just a joke I read on reddit.

    It's not something from out of the blue.   The NBC Peacock was a proud part of their legacy in the earlier days of color TV.

    I suspect, that it ties in with the instant on 'like turning on your TV" -- like the old days.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 29
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,772member
    rosse59 said:
    Ping me when there's something worth watching...
    Um, Punky Brewster? C’mon man. After the long winter of a world without Punky, our wait is almost over. 
    /S   (just in case)

    Stay tuned for reboots of ALF and Charles in Charge. And maybe, if we’re really lucky and absolutely nobody asks for it, Max Headroom as well. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 29
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,038member
    I can't muster any interest. (Note: a group of Peacocks is called a Muster. A group of Peahens is called a Bevy.)
    I've never heard peacocks being a called a muster, only an ostentation or a pride.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 29
    Streaming your local NBC station/channel live...how is this different than OTA HD broadcast?

    My HBO app has live streams but we never use it, it defeats the value add of an app — on-demand viewing. I have zero desire to watch what is programmed on a set schedule. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 29
    NBCU's various network apps (NBC, NBC Sports, USA, etc.) already offer live streaming, so this wouldn't be breaking any new ground.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 29
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,444member
    It took me a few reads to realize that 'live streaming' wasn't the same as 'live TV'. So the idea is that like an OTA TV broadcast, you turn on your device or open an app and there is a show in progress. Unless you have great timing.

    The content might be a recorded show all ready in progress or a live show all ready in progress. I wouldn't thing this would replace On Demand programming.

    I remember the big  feature of On Demand being that you didn't tune into show already in progress, missing the opening minutes. Everybody, at different times 'could tune late' and not miss anything at all.

    If there's some other appeal than instant gratification of seeing something on the Tube immediately, even if it's just Kansas Ice Curling Championships, can someone offer some alternative reasons?
    StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 29
    Yeah am not getting it. Unless Martians invade and I need to tune in to the broadcast live I don’t see why I’d want a live stream when all the normal content is already on-demand. But if Martians do invade there is OTA and special reporting from your website of choice. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 29
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    macgui said:
    It took me a few reads to realize that 'live streaming' wasn't the same as 'live TV'. So the idea is that like an OTA TV broadcast, you turn on your device or open an app and there is a show in progress. Unless you have great timing.

    The content might be a recorded show all ready in progress or a live show all ready in progress. I wouldn't thing this would replace On Demand programming.

    I remember the big  feature of On Demand being that you didn't tune into show already in progress, missing the opening minutes. Everybody, at different times 'could tune late' and not miss anything at all.

    If there's some other appeal than instant gratification of seeing something on the Tube immediately, even if it's just Kansas Ice Curling Championships, can someone offer some alternative reasons?

    I don't think its either / or.   Or, in this case, only.  
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