Comcast’s streaming service Peacock has 35 million registered users, according to data revealed by executives at an advertiser event earlier this week.
The amount of users includes those who pay either $5 a month or $10 a month for premium access to Peacock as well as those who choose to use the service’s limited, free tier.
The number indicates a steady flow of new sign-ups to Peacock since it launched to Comcast’s Xfinity customers last April and everyone else three months later. In January, Comcast revealed the service had crossed 33 million sign-ups at that time. Comcast does not break out paid subscribers versus those who use the service’s free tier.
While the number appears impressive, recent reports indicate less than one-third of those who sign up for the service are actively using it every month.
Still, Comcast is hoping several recent content announcements will help drive more users to the service. In January, Comcast announced a deal to bring World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) programming to the service, with the WWE’s own streaming service shutting down as a result. (WWE content began moving over to Peacock, albeit in an edited form, earlier this month.)
Comcast also snagged the exclusive digital streaming rights for Peacock to “The Office,” a hit NBC sitcom that proved itself to be a binge-worthy show when Comcast licensed it to Netflix prior to Peacock’s launch.
A recently-announced deal to bring some live National Football League (NFL) games to Peacock could further help draw interest in the streaming service. It wasn’t clear from an announcement released earlier this month if Comcast plans to offer NFL telecasts for free via Peacock or place them behind the service’s paywall, but the latter would likely attract more paying subscribers when the deal takes effect in late 2023.
Comcast is available for Roku, Apple and Android devices, including iPhones, iPads, Android phones and Android TV. The service is also available for some newer Vizio and LG smart TVs and is baked into Comcast’s X1 set-top boxes, including its Internet-only Flex box.
A dispute between Comcast and Amazon is keeping Peacock from being natively supported on Amazon’s line of Fire TV devices, which uses a modified version of the Android operating system. As of this week, Comcast has started encouraging Amazon Fire TV users to “side load” the Android version of the app, so they can access it until a deal is reached to bring the service to Amazon’s app store.
Peacock competes primarily against the ViacomCBS streaming service Paramount Plus and the Walt Disney Company’s Hulu. Both streaming services cost $1 more per month for programs supported by ads compared to Peacock, and neither offer a free level of access.
