Comcast’s NBC Universal has announced a new content distribution agreement with Starz that allows customers of its streaming service Peacock to add a subscription to the premium movie network within the same app.
Starting this week, eligible Peacock subscribers on the Select, Premium or Premium Plus tiers can sign up for a Starz subscription, which costs $12 per month in addition to the usual cost of Peacock.
The agreement broadens Peacock’s premium content ecosystem while giving Starz another distribution outlet as the premium network continues to expand its direct-to-consumer strategy, the companies said in an announcement on Tuesday.
“This Starz add-on subscription expands choice for our customers across all three tiers, provides flexibility for subscribers to enhance their experience on Peacock, and allows for deeper engagement with complementary premium content,” Will Gonzalez, the Chief Growth and Data Officer at NBC Universal Media Group, said in a statement.
Starz President Alison Hoffman said the partnership bolsters the premium network’s strategy of complementing broader streaming platforms with its original programming and film library.
“We’re excited to partner with Peacock in bringing Starz as an add-on subscription to the platform for the first time ever,” Hoffman said. “As a complementary premium service, Starz is built to be distributed in a way that enhances and expands the value of a broader platform. With our compelling slate of hit original series for women and underrepresented audiences, alongside our vast portfolio of premium Pay 1 and library films, Starz helps create a more complete and diverse offering for customers.”
Peacock subscribers interested in tacking on a subscription to Starz can do so by clicking or tapping here.
The Peacock partnership is just one of several announced by Starz in recent years: The company has long made its subscription service available through marketplaces like YouTube Primetime Channels, Roku Premium Subscriptions and Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, and announced a bundling arrangement with Britbox in 2024.
News of the partnership comes one day after Comcast announced its intention to spin out NBC Universal into a separate, publicly-traded company. The standalone NBC Universal will retain Peacock among a number of other properties.
Starz is fending off a hostile takeover from comedian Byron Allen, who has worked over the years to develop his own media empire by purchasing assets like broadcast TV stations and BuzzFeed while promising to write checks for larger ambitions like TV networks. Starz recently adopted a so-called “poison pill” that dilutes shareholder equity if Allen acquires more than 17.5 percent of the company’s stock; he currently owns 11 percent of the company through common stock purchases.
