Comcast and NBCUniversal’s contribution to the streaming wars, Peacock, isn’t set to launch nationally until July 15.
But as AT&T and WarnerMedia are finding out with the constrained launch of HBO Max, it’s never too early to worry about app support on major device platforms.
With 35 days to go before ad-supported and subscription iterations of Peacock launch beyond the Comcast pay TV ecosystem, NBCU still hasn’t locked up deals with Roku and Amazon to get support for the Peacock app on the Nos. 1 and 2 device platforms. And Peacock also doesn’t have yet in place a deal with Google for the top mobile platform, Android, as well as connected TV device ecosystems Android TV and Chromecast.
Also read: Peacock to Launch on Apple Gadgets
Peacock announced a deal last month with Apple for support on iOS mobile devices, as well as Apple TV. It also has a deal locked in with Microsoft for gaming console Xbox One.
Peacock is also supported by Comcast’s X1 and Xfinity Flex platforms, on which the service is currently streamable for Comcast video subscribers.
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Beyond that limited support, a Peacock rep told Next TV, “We’ll have more to share soon.”
No pressure, but the May 27 launch of HBO Max has been clouded by the service’s lack of support on Roku and Amazon Fire TV, which control more than two-thirds of connected TVs in America.
Also read: Comcast’s Peacock Streaming Service Created From Traditional TV’s Winning Recipe
HBO Max, Evercore ISI analyst Vijay Jayant said, has "significant limitations for consumers who want to view it on a TV.”
Fortunately for NBCU, it doesn’t face some of the challenges that WarnerMedia has with Roku and Amazon, which have already made legacy app HBO Now an integral part of their “channels” distribution model. Like Disney Plus, Peacock is a new app, not superseding another app like HBO Now.
Theoretically, this should make negotiating deals with these technology companies easier for NBCU. But maybe not too easy—Disney’s deal to include Disney Plus on Amazon Fire TV came down to the week before the platform’s November 12 U.S. launch.
