NBCUniversal has announced a deal with Google which will enable app support for its new streaming service, Peacock, on Android mobile devices, as well as Android TV and Chromecast OTT dongles, boxes and smart TVs.
The deal will also make Peacock playable on Chromebook computers when it launches nationally July 15. Notably, Android mobile and Android TV users will have free access to the Peacock Premium subscription iteration of the service through October 15.
“Given Google’s extensive customer reach, millions of people will be able to start streaming Peacock on their preferred platform or device this July,” said Maggie McLean Suniewick, president of business development and partnerships for Peacock, in a statement. “We’ve made Peacock free to our distribution partners, including Google, because we want people everywhere to stream Peacock, and the Peacock Premium promotion demonstrates our commitment to providing incredible value for our mutual customers.”
Comcast’s NBCU division launched Peacock Premium free to Comcast pay TV subscribers in April, embedding the app natively into Xfinity X1 and Flex video systems.
On July 15, Peacock will expand beyond the Comcast cable ecosystem as a nationally available OTT service, available as an expanded $4.99-a-month premium iteration, or as a free ad-supported product with more limited scope (basically, 7,500 movies and shows vs. 15,000 for the premium version).
Peacock had previously announced a deal with Apple that will deliver app support on launch day for iOS mobile devices, as well as Apple TV.
Peacock has also locked in agreement with Microsoft for support on Xbox One gaming consoles.
Sticking out like a sore thumb with the national launch just over three weeks away: Deals with Roku and Amazon to support the Peacock app on the Nos. 1 and 2 OTT device ecosystems in the U.S. Notably, the May 27 launch of rival OTT service HBO Max has been marred by AT&T’s ability to lock in app support for Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
“As millions of our viewers have already seen the massive benefit of having Peacock available to them these past few months, we look forward to leveraging the unprecedented reach of Google’s platforms and devices, to provide Peacock to even more fans on July 15,” said Matt Bond, chairman of content distribution for NBCUniversal, also in a statement. “Google continues to be a terrific partner as we aim to deliver NBCUniversal’s world class content across all of their platforms and devices.”
This article originally ran on multichannel.com.
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