NBCUniversal‘s international flight plan for Peacock starts this week: Starting Nov. 16, Sky TV and Now customers in the U.K. and Ireland will get access to the streaming service for no additional fee.
Comcast had announced plans this summer to launch Peacock as a free add-on for Sky’s satellite TV customers in Europe, representing a base of close to 20 million households. According to NBCU, after the “soft launch” in the U.K. and Ireland, Peacock will continue to roll out across Sky platforms in territories including Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland in the next few months.
Sky TV customers and subscribers to the Now Entertainment package in the U.K. and Ireland will get “early access” to the new ad-supported Peacock destination, with original and library TV shows and movies from across NBCU although the content availability will differ from what’s available on Peacock in the U.S. In 2018, Comcast acquired a controlling interest in Sky.
“The introduction of Peacock content on Sky and Now will expand the incredible lineup available to all our customers, giving them access to even more of the best entertainment from our partners at NBCUniversal,” Zai Bennett, managing director of content for Sky U.K. and Ireland.
NBCU is banking on Peacock’s European expansion to funnel more revenue into the streaming platform’s coffers. For the U.S. market, NBCU didn’t release any updated Peacock user figures for the third quarter of 2021, although CEO Jeff Shell claimed on the earnings call, “Everything on Peacock is heading in the right direction,” adding, “We’re really pleased with Peacock. We’re way ahead of where we expected to be at this point.”
In Europe, Peacock titles available now and in the coming months include original series “Saved by the Bell,” “Rutherford Falls,” “Punky Brewster,” “The Girl in the Woods,” “Five Bedrooms” and “Vanderpump Rules.” Upcoming series on Peacock include “MacGruber,” “Bel-Air,” “Joe Exotic” (working title), “Killing It,” “Vampire Academy,” “Irreverent,” “The Innocent,” “The Resort,” “The Missing,” “The Best Man,” “Angelyne,” “Ted” and “Battlestar Galactica.”
Also on Peacock are current and past TV shows including the American version of “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” “30 Rock,” “Psych,” “Superstore,” “A.P. Bio,” “The Mindy Project,” “Will & Grace,” “Mr. Mayor,” “Young Rock” and “Saturday Night Live.” Drama series on the service include “Monk,” “Bates Motel,” “Heroes,” “Friday Night Lights,” “12 Monkeys,” “Downton Abbey,” “House,” “Suits,” “Quantum Leap,” “Warehouse 13,” “The Equalizer” and “Grimm.” Unscripted shows in the mix include “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” “Million Dollar Listing,” “Southern Charm,” “Below Deck,” “The Real Housewives” and “Top Chef.”
Movies on Peacock include “The Best Man,” “Bird on a Wire,” “Bowfinger,” “Brüno,” “Bulletproof,” “Children of Men,” “Definitely Maybe,” “Far and Away,” “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “The Game,” “Hanna,” “Hannibal,” “The Last House on the Left,” “MacGruber,” “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” “Meet Joe Black,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, “Out of Sight,” “Pride & Prejudice,” “Scent of a Woman,” “Seed of Chucky,” “A Simple Wish,” “The Skeleton Key,” “Tower Heist,” “United 93,” “Very Bad Things,” “What Dreams May Come” and “You, Me, and Dupree.”
