NBCU Feathering Peacock’s Nest With ViacomCBS-Licensed TV Shows, Movies

Todd Spangler
·3 min read

Click here to read the full article.

Peacock, NBCUniversal’s new streaming service that launched nationwide in two weeks, has struck an agreement with ViacomCBS to license Paramount movies and TV shows.

Coming to Peacock — on a nonexclusive basis — are series including “Ray Donovan” (starring Liev Schreiber, pictured above), “The Affair,” “Undercover Boss,” “The Game,” “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Real Husbands of Hollywood.” Those will be available to stream on Peacock with the launch of the service on July 15 and will continue to be available on ViacomCBS platforms. In addition, episodes of the CW’s “Charmed” will roll onto Peacock in October 2020.

More from Variety

Peacock also gets rights for films from Paramount’s library in limited exclusivity windows throughout 2021, 2022 and 2023. Those include “The Godfather” trilogy, “Catch Me If You Can,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “American Beauty,” “Patriot Games,” “Last Holiday,” “Fatal Attraction,” “The Firm,” and “An Officer and a Gentleman.”

The deal with ViacomCBS shows that Peacock keeps looking beyond NBCU for content: Peacock also has licensing deals with A+E Networks, Warner Bros., and Sony.

By “partnering with companies like ViacomCBS,” the company can “ensure that all of our viewers can choose from the best entertainment options available in the market today,” Frances Manfredi, president of content acquisition and strategy at Peacock, said in a statement.

For ViacomCBS, the Peacock deal will “maximize the value of our content by selectively licensing our library product” — while the strategy continues to be “prioritizing franchise IP for our own platforms,” said Dan Cohen, president, ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.

In April, Peacock’s “early preview” rolled out to Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex customers at no additional cost. On July 15, Peacock is set to launch wide in several versions.

The Peacock Free ad-supported tier will have more than 7,500 hours of movies, shows, and programming across news, sports, reality and late night. So far, NBCU has reached deals with Apple, Google, Microsoft’s Xbox, and LG and Vizio TVs — but hasn’t announced agreements for Roku or Amazon Fire TV (both of which are in a standoff on HBO Max).

Peacock Premium offers more than 15,000 hours of content (including Peacock’s originals). That version will be available to Comcast and Cox customers for no additional charge, and $4.99 per month for everyone else. For $9.99 month (or $5 per month for Comcast and Cox customers), users can upgrade to an ad-free tier of Peacock Premium.

Peacock recently announced original programming available at launch including “Brave New World,” “The Capture,” “Intelligence” and “Lost Speedways”; sports documentary “In Deep with Ryan Lochte”; and full-length film “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home.”

The streamer also will feature current-season programming from NBC and Telemundo, access to hundreds of movies like “Jurassic Park,” “Do the Right Thing” and “Shrek”; and older TV shows including comedies “Parks and Recreation,” “30 Rock,” “Saturday Night Live,” “King of Queens,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Frasier,” “George Lopez,” “Psych,” “Monk” and “Cheers”; dramas “Law & Order: SVU,” “Downton Abbey,” “Yellowstone,” “Friday Night Lights,” “House,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Parenthood,” “Heroes”; and kids’ programming including “Curious George,” DreamWorks Animation’s “Where’s Waldo?” and “Cleopatra in Space.”

Peacock also will include daily programming highlights from NBC News’ “Today,” “NBC Nightly News,” “Meet the Press,” as well as “Noticias Telemundo,” MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, E! News and Access Hollywood.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.