- The recently launched streaming service Peacock will finally be available on Roku-based devices soon.
- The agreement was announced late today by both Roku and Peacock’s owner NBCUniversal.
- Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
In July, NBCUniversal launched its long-awaited streaming service Peacock nationally. However, the service did not support the popular lineup of Roku streaming sticks, set-top boxes, and smart televisions at launch. Late today, NBCUniversal and Roku both announced that a deal has now been struck. It will allow Peacock on Roku devices sometime in the very near future.
Read more: Peacock – Everything you need to know
Engadget received statements from both companies about the new deal. While specifics about the agreement were not revealed, Roku’s statement does say the deal will also add NBC content to the company’s in-house Roku Channel. It will also include a “meaningful partnership around advertising” with NBCUniversal. That likely means Roku will get some ad revenue from Peacock’s service. NBCUniversal recently revealed it had signed up 15 million active users for Peacock since the July launch.
Read more: Roku buyers guide
The journey to get a deal signed was likely more important for Peacock than for Roku. Barrons recently reported that, according to a survey of U.S. smart TV consumers, 43% of them had a Roku-based device. The same survey showed 35% had an Amazon Fire TV device, and 25% have an Apple TV box. Some users might have more than one streaming TV platform product.
There’s no word yet on exactly when Peacock on Roku will launch. Hopefully, it will be before the service becomes the exclusive streaming home for the U.S. version of The Office. That will happen starting in January 2021, after the popular sitcom leaves Netflix in December 2020.
There’s still no agreement with Amazon to get Peacock on its popular Fire TV devices and smart televisions. There’s also no update on talks to add another major new streaming service, HBO Max, to either Roku or Amazon Fire TV products.
