Peacock is a large and growing streaming platform, but it still has a long way to go before it reaches the heights of platforms like Netflix and Hulu. In the first quarter of 2022, Peacock seemed to have stalled in growth and was stuck with 13 million paid subscribers, not gaining any more subscribers for a few months. However, this changed in the third quarter of 2022 and Peacock gained 2 million more subscribers, bringing its total up to an impressive 15 million.
What NBC CEO Has to Say About Peacock’s Paid Subscribers’ Growth
But what was the main cause behind this sudden rise in paid subscribers over the span of just a few months? According to Jeff Shell–the CEO of NBC Universal–it had to do with Peacocks’ strong lineup of shows, movies, and other content that subscribers wanted to see. And part of the reason for this strong lineup had to do with the platform reclaiming some of its shows and episodes from other platforms like Hulu.
Most of the content that goes up on NBC channels like Bravo also goes to platforms like Hulu. But starting towards the end of 2022, this content will now be uploaded to Peacock so that users that want access to NBC content online will have to subscribe to Peacock.
In fact, starting from mid-September of 2022, all of the current NBC shows were given next-day access on Peacock Premium, leading to a fan-coveted lineup of content and a huge increase in paid subscriptions. Some of the top NBC shows that draw viewership and subscriptions to Peacock include shows like “America’s Got Talent,” “Law & Order,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Top Chef,” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”
What to Expect from Peacock Moving Forward
But that is not all Peacock has up its sleeve to gain even more paid subscribers in the near future. Besides gaining next-day access to hit shows from NBC, Peacock has made further steps to improve its content lineup. This includes a deal with Lionsgate–a movie mega-giant, and a new and upcoming, much-awaited animated series, “In the Know.” The series comes from incredible creators Mike Judge of “Beavis and Butt-Head,” and Zach Woods of “Silicon Valley.”
When streaming platform users are only able to find such high-quality movies, shows, animated series, documentaries, and more on just Peacock and no other streaming platforms, they ultimately have no choice but to subscribe. And with Peacock Premium being priced competitively at just $4.99per month, whereas Netflix subscriptions start at $7.99 per month and Hulu subscriptions start at$6.99 per month, it makes sense that users are willing to make the switch.