NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service "will offer extensive coverage of the Toyko Olympics, some of it exclusive," according to Dade Hayes of DEADLINE.com. Peacock will feature live coverage of the Opening and Closing ceremonies "before they air on NBC in primetime," as well as stream "three daily Olympic shows." That will include "Tokyo Live," with live coverage from "one particularly compelling event from the day," "Tokyo Daily Digest," with midday highlights and "Tokyo Tonight," which will be a "complement to the primetime show that is designed to help audiences catch up on the day's events." Beginning in August, Peacock also will "carry 2,000 hours of Premier League coverage, including more than 140 matches that aren't available on television, as well as clips and replays." The Ryder Cup also will be "coming to the service in September" (DEADLINE.com, 1/16). Peacock Premium is slated to have a series of Olympic sports documentaries. "Dream Team 2020" will follow USA Basketball stars on their journey to Tokyo in a behind-the-scenes docu-series produced in partnership with NBA Entertainment. "Hot Water: In Deep with Ryan Lochte," shows follows the Gold Medal-winning swimmer trying to make Team USA again. "United States of Speed" follows a group of U.S. track athletes. "Run Through the Line," in conjunction with Nike Founder and Chair Emeritus Phil Knight, is based loosely on his memoir, "Shoe Dog." Finally, "The Greatest Race" retells the story of the '08 4x100m men's freestyle relay in Beijing, with Michael Phelps and Gold Medal-winning Jason Lezak (NBC).
FIVE-YEAR FORECAST: In L.A., Battaglio & James note the live sports offerings, as well as "news and timely late-night shows are expected to differentiate Peacock" from the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and upcoming HBO Max. Comcast said that Peacock is projected to have "between 30 million and 35 million active accounts" by '24, and that it "expects the service to break even in five years" (L.A. TIMES, 1/17). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Rizzo & Flint note Peacock will "cost $4.99 a month with commercials and $9.99 for an ad-free version." A free version "with ads will have a slimmer offering of content." The service launches on April 15 for Comcast customers and July 15 for "everyone else." Comcast and Cox Communications customers will be "able to access the ad-supported Premium option at no charge -- amounting to some 24 million potential users" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/17).
CASH COW COMPLICATIONS: In DC, Steven Zeitchik notes one "notable absence" from yesterday's announcement was "SNF." But moving "SNF" to Peacock would be "tricky." A source said that any such change would "require a renegotiation between NBC and the NFL, which has digital rights spread out among a variety of companies." Any such discussion has "yet to happen" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/17).
