NBC’s Peacock app is now available on at least some Roku streaming devices as a result of last Friday’s sudden carriage deal between the two companies.
The app can now be found on Roku’s Ultra set-top, among others, and it’s expected to be available on all Roku devices shortly.
Until Friday, it appeared that Roku wouldn’t carry Peacock heading into the fall when TV viewing traditionally increases. Comcast, which owns NBC, was engaged in a heated battle with Roku over carriage fees and advertising rights.
However, Comcast late last week threatened to pull 11 NBC apps from Roku if the device maker did not give in. And on Friday, the power play worked when the companies announced that Peacock would shortly be added to Roku.
The fact that it took Roku three days before it began adding Peacock to its devices is evidence that the Friday agreement was somewhat unexpected. Normally, a program distributor does the logistical work in advance so it can launch the channel/app on day one if an agreement with the programmer is reached. But in this case, Roku clearly wasn’t ready on Friday when the deal was signed.
Peacock, which features programming from the NBC Universal catalog, offers both a free and paid plan. The free plan includes 15,000 hours of programming while the two pay packages offer more than 20,000 hours of programming. The lineup includes shows such as Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Parks & Recreation, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Dateline, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
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— Phillip Swann
