Peacock, Comcast’s NBCUniversal streaming service, launched on Wednesday through a range of the larger devices. But Peacock It is missing in the two most popular devices to broadcast on televisions: Roku and Amazon Fire TV. And the signs aren’t looking good that the new streaming service will soon admit them.
Peacock doesn’t launch with Roku, and Fire TV repeats the HBO Max launch in May. Failing to reach its own distribution deals, HBO Max is still lacking on Roku and Fire TV more than a month after launch, with no news on progress since then. It marks a new period in the evolution of video streaming, in which the most powerful TV app distributors and pocket media companies are pitted against each other for control of the data and money generated by their streaming activity. , as they try to take hold. their positions of power for the next era of television.
Peacock said Tuesday that he is in talks with additional partners.
“The Peacock app is ready to launch across platforms with the push of a switch,” said a Peacock spokeswoman. “We think it is important for consumers to know that Peacock is free to use and free for any platform that wants to distribute it. If Peacock is not available on a platform at launch, it is not because we have not made it available, and it is not because we did not We made it available for free. ”
“Consumers have purchased these devices with the expectation that they will be able to access all applications, so we expect all platforms to do the right thing for their users and take it,” he added.
Amazon and Roku did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Wednesday morning. Until Tuesday, Amazon and Roku declined to comment.
The stream has become more popular than ever during the coronavirus pandemic, and the Roku and Amazon Fire TV products are the most common ways to stream on TVs in the US Together, the streaming companies and smart TVs from the two companies account for 70% of all streaming devices installed in the United States last year, and reached approximately 80 million active users among them.
But instead of serving as app-neutral platforms, Roku and Amazon have become firmer in their conversations with the new streaming services lately, and media companies are more interested in reaping the greatest possible reward from their products, which leads to impasses.
Peacock has support for other TV streaming devices such as Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Microsoft’s Xbox One and now Sony’s PlayStation 4.. The Peacock app is also confirmed for Vizio’s SmartCast and LG Smart TVs, and the service will also be available on mobile devices.
Competing with the likes of Netflix, Disney plus and HBO MaxPeacock is the last major new service to be launched in the so-called broadcast wars, when an avalanche of services spilled out from the tech and media giants over a period of about seven months. In Peacock’s case, it means that even a traditional cable and television company like Comcast is betting that the tide of cutting the cable won’t change.
These battles will shape the destiny of companies vying to govern the future of television, but they will also affect the amount of services you must use and pay to watch your favorite television and movies. And clashes facing distribution companies like Roku and Amazon against streaming services like Comcast’s Peacock and AT&T’s HBO Max may affect viewers in hopes of watching on some of their favorite devices.
Peacock Released on Wednesday in the US with an always free tier that allows you to try out about two-thirds of your library with advertising, as well as higher tiers that unlock the entire catalog. Peacock Premium costs $ 5 a month, or $ 50 a year with advertising, or you can upgrade to an ad-free version for $ 10 a month or $ 100 a year.