The number of streamers paying to watch TV shows and movies through Comcast’s Peacock dipped to 33 million during the second quarter (Q2) of the year, the telecom revealed in its financial earnings on Tuesday.
The figure represents a 3 percent decline when compared to the first three months of 2024, though Comcast said it was 38 percent higher than the number of customers who paid for Peacock compared to Q2 2023.
While the number of customers paying for Peacock might have been fewer, revenue from the streaming service increased nearly 24 percent to $1.36 billion. The financial loss attributed to Peacock was $348 million, or 46 percent lower than the $651 million financial charge Comcast took in its direct-to-consumer streaming segment last year.
Overall, NBC’s television business collected $6.32 billion, up 2 percent compared to Q2 2023. The TV business includes the NBC broadcast network as well as cable channels like MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, E!, USA Network and Oxygen, along with free, ad-supported streaming channels like NBC News Now and Dateline 24/7, among others.
Related: Comcast loses broadband Internet, pay TV customers in Q2
Like other entertainment giants, Comcast has been laser-focused on developing Peacock at a time when TV and movie fans are ditching traditional pay television in favor of streaming services. Unlike traditional cable and satellite, streaming services tend to offer consumers flexibility in terms of where TV shows and movies can be watched, and how much it costs to access them.
Peacock comes in two varieties: Peacock Premium, which costs $8 per month, and Peacock Premium Plus at $14 per month. Both offers streamers access to a robust catalog of NBC dramas, comedies and reality competitions; live news from NBC News Now; streaming versions of cable channels like Reelz Network and Hallmark Channel; and live sports from the worlds of football, soccer, baseball, auto racing and professional golf (and, soon, the 2024 Summer Olympic Games). Peacock Premium Plus offers commercial-free streaming from most on-demand titles, as well as streaming access to a subscriber’s local NBC station or affiliate.
Comcast recently followed the lead of other telecoms in offering a streaming-focused bundle that allows subscribers to purchase Peacock along with two other services — Netflix and Apple TV Plus — at a discount rate. The perk, called Stream Saver (stylized as StreamSaver), costs $15 per month when purchased through an eligible Xfinity TV or Xfinity Internet plan. Customers of Xfinity Internet can also buy Stream Saver with Now TV, Comcast’s budget-conscious streaming TV service, which offers the same streaming products along with four dozen live TV channels for $30 per month.
