NBCUniversal’s streaming gambit seems to have paid off, as Peacock now has over 42 million people signed up to stream everything from The Office to old episodes of The Ray Bradbury Theater. The rising streaming platform reported good numbers for the first quarter of 2021, with the signups number rising from 33 million just three months ago. This sudden uptick in interest is likely due to the combined forces of the WWE Network and The Office migrating over to the service exclusively in the US.
World Wrestling Entertainment recently merged their streaming service into Peacock, just in time for fans to tune in to this year’s WrestleMania. The biggest pay-per-view of the wrestling year drew great numbers for the service, and subscribers also have access to a back catalog of hundreds of hours of vintage action from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and even Drew Carrey for one brief moment in an old Royal Rumble.
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This surge in viewers then combines with The Office, which was always one of the cornerstones of NBCUniversal’s streaming plans. Following the end of their distribution deal with Netflix, Peacock rolled out the red carpet for the Steve Carell sitcom with huge promotions and a new series of extended “SuperFan” episodes that will release every few months. The Office had developed a huge second life via streaming, and it seems like switching platforms hasn’t stopped that momentum in the slightest.
Peacock’s viewership surge is listed in signups, as the service is free to enjoy at its lowest level. People can pay for access to more content and pay even more for an ad-free tier, but Peacock is measuring its overall success in its number of customers rather than its number of subscribers.
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That success was a big part of a bigger report by parent company Comcast on their earnings. CEO Brian Roberts stated that the entire corporation was off to a great start in 2021. “Our entire company performed well across the board, highlighted by another strong performance from cable… and increasing momentum at NBCUniversal and Sky,” said Roberts in a press release.
