Peacock Reports 35% Awareness as Streaming Service Launches

(Image credit: Peacock)

Awareness of Comcast’s new streaming service Peacock is growing as it launches to Xfinity and Flex customers Wednesday, according to a new report.

The survey by TV Time, part of Whip Media Group, found that 35% of respondents were aware of Peacock and that 26% said they were likely to subscribe.

Awareness is up from 28% in a survey TV Time took during the fall.

“Peacock’s strategy to provide content for everyone--with pricing models for everyone--is on the right track. As awareness grows, they are poised to capitalize. This might be a bird that not just flies, but soars,” the report said.

The lower-priced tier of Peacock was most popular in the survey, with 45% expressing a preference for Peacock Free, 26% likely to opt for Peacock Premium, and 30% liking the ad-free version of Peacock Premium.

TV Time noted that the result indicated that consumers liked that ad-supported VOD model because they are already paying for subscription streaming services already.

Current TV shows are Peacock’s biggest draws according to the survey, with 51% saying that shows now on NBC were what they were most interested in viewing. That could because cord cutters don’t have access to live broadcast content, TV Time said. 

“One of the key findings was that currently airing NBC shows are the biggest draw to Peacock.  More than half (51%) of respondents said they were most interested in seeing linear content on the new streaming service,” said Cory Sher, VP, global sales and business development, Whip Media Group. “As time goes on and consumers better understand the value of the Peacock service, the platform could expect to see high growth among cord-cutters and cable viewers alike.”

Peacock originals appealed to 34% of respondents. Those originals are likely to be delayed as the Coronavirus has paused production of most live-action TV shows.

Only 29% said they were interested in watching sports and other live events on the platform, which is just as well with the Tokyo Olympics being pushed back to 2021. 

Kids programming was appealing to just 14% of those surveyed.

The survey was conducted between Feb. 28 and March 6, with 4,184 respondents who are active users of the TV Time App in the U.S. the survey was fielded before to COVID-19 outbreak, which has fueled a big increase in streaming as people had to stay home to halt the spread of the virus.

The TV Time app is used daily by nearly 1 million people to keep track of the shows and movies they’re watching, discover what to watch next and engage in a global community of more than 13 million registered fans. 

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.