Peacock has had a difficult couple of weeks. NBC positioned its streaming platform as the best place to stream the Olympics, something that should have been a win for the new platform. Peacocks coverage wasn't clear and concise, and viewers haven't had much reason to stay after the Games. It is unclear what NBCUniversals' biggest streaming investment will look like. The biggest draw of the service is its content, but there are no internet-breaking titles coming to the platform soon.Peacock had 54,000,000 sign-ups as well as 20,000,000+ active accounts at the end of July, less than a year since its launch, parent company Comcast stated during its second quarter earnings call. (A spokesperson refused to say how many active accounts are paid. This is a small number, but Netflix has now surpassed 200,000,000 subscriptions. It's a significant increase from the 42 million signups only a quarter ago. Only a third of those active accounts, however, were active. The platform's growth was attributed to three content exclusives: Dr. Death, Peacocks most popular original; The Boss Baby, Family Business day and date release; and 2020 Tokyo Olympics which concluded Sunday.Even Comcast is aware that it will be difficult to maintain its growth. Comcast's chairman and CEO Brian L. Roberts stated that it is unlikely that we can replicate this incredible performance. (Disclosure: NBCUniversal, parent company to The Verge, is an investor in Vox Media.The series Dr. Death was well received and I paid for a premium subscription to continue the series. It stars Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater and Joshua Jackson as the compelling lead role of Christopher Duntsch. Peacocks content pipeline is not ready to become a Disney Plus or Netflix. This is largely because Peacock does not appear to have the financial resources to produce high-quality originals with the same production value as series like Stranger Things and The Mandalorian.Peacocks original strategy and content offer look like a broadcast network.Peacock acts very much like a broadcast network, offering more content than what they would expect to see on NBC. Richard Broughton is a research director at Ampere Analysis and said that this strategy might work to attract subscribers to its free and ad supported tiers, but not necessarily its premium ones.According to Broughton, the original strategy and content offerings of Peacocks look like a broadcast network. They have a lot of reality and comedy shows. They aren't known for producing high-end dramas. These have been the main reason that they have stood out from other broadcast networks like HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Disney Plus. Peacocks are firmly positioned at the moment as "hey, you like our broadcast channels." You can stream more of what you love, but that is fine. It is likely to push people to the ad-funded tier rather than premium.Peacocks upcoming slate features a series based upon Dan Browns novel The Lost Symbol. It also includes an Andy Cohen-hosted drama series called Ex-Rated and a teen murder drama One of Us is Lying. Although it is too early to determine if these series will drive significant subscriber growth they do not have the same level of fanfare as other services prior to big-budget titles.Roberts stated during the earnings conference that the company is optimistic about its future programming slate. This includes Monday Night Football, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Universal films. Universal films will be available for pay-one streaming after their debut in theaters in 2022. Even those exclusives that are pay-one are split with Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. Peacock will first get the films, but eventually they'll be able to access two larger services that offer more content and have deeper production pockets.Peacock also reclaimed a lot of NBC titles that did exceptionally well on Netflix, while they were still being licensed. Peacock also has exclusive streaming rights for programming from the WWE Network. However, no streaming service can survive the streaming battles if it relies on pro-wrestling, The Office, and Parks and Recreation. This is especially true if Peacock really wants people to pay for its service. Many of the original content it produces is kept behind paywalls. If nobody is actually watching the original shows, why invest in creating them?It seems odd that the service relies on Olympics streaming, considering that the Games are only available every two years. Its Olympics coverage will not be available on the service after the Games. According to a spokesperson, the dedicated Olympics hub will be removed from the service starting August 11th. Originals such as Golden and For Ball and Country will still be available long-term.It looks like a great strategy to draw viewers based on the Olympics.This seems like a great strategy to draw viewers who are interested in the Olympics. Even if there were more coverage, that's not enough to sustain the program, according to David Arditi, an associate professor of sociology, anthropology, and sociology at the University of Texas at Arlington. Arditi is the author of Streaming Culture. Subscription Platforms and The Unending Consumption Of Culture. This book examines closely the streaming wars.Broughton stated that Peacock must now decide whether or not it wants compete with big streaming companies like Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max and Disney Plus. Or whether it wants more to compete with price-sensitive, but ad-supported services such as Hulu. Broughton said that Peacock's hybrid model will allow the company to test different strategies and experiment with what works, without having to commit from day one.Peacocks programming is more influenced by old-guard network programming than the new series and films being made by Apple, Disney, and Netflix. The service might have enough demand for such content to continue to exist. Peacock must devise a strategy fast in an environment where cultural moments such as WandaVision and Ted Lasso are a big draw for viewers.
