Peacock To Add Live 24/7 Access To Local NBC Affiliates In 210 Markets For Premium Subscribers

08.11.2022 - 20:33 / deadline.com

Subscribers to Peacock’s premium tier will soon have 24/7 access to their local NBC affiliate stations via a dedicated channel on the streaming service.

The geotargeted channel will be available in all 210 NBC affiliate markets on November 30.

The move is a significant leap forward for local TV stations in the streaming era. Paramount+, since its earlier incarnation as CBS All Access, has similarly featured local CBS stations. Execs at Paramount Global have long noted the significance of that viewing of live station programming, especially since sports and news are significant elements to the overall offering. Hulu also features a selection of local stations.

NBCUniversal has also foregrounded sports and news since launching Peacock in 2020. The service has reached 15 million paying subscribers, far behind many rivals, but NBCU and Comcast execs have said they are pleased with its progress, with monthly active user levels already at the threshold of initial projections of 30 million to 35 million by 2025.

On a broader level, the local station streaming move comes amid a rethink of resources across NBCU. CEO Jeff Shell has confirmed that the company is considering returning the 10 p.m. hour of primetime to local NBC stations, with the likely result being an additional hour of news in many markets. Affiliates had been unsettled since Peacock’s launch, especially with initial plans — since abandoned — calling for early access to The Tonight Show and Late Night. Local TV has struggled as a category to get on the right side of the streaming revolution, for a host of reasons, with some initial industry consortiums failing to yield solutions and the technical challenges mounting.

Even prior to the affiliate channel going