After licensing films and shows to Netflix and Amazon, streaming services like Disney and WarnerMedia have yanked their biggest properties from the competition to boost their own platforms. Comcast-owned NBCUniversal is reportedly thinking about a similar strategy to prop up its service, Peacock. The media conglomerate currently gets paid hundreds of millions of dollars by HBO Max and Netflix for its Universal Pictures movies and popular animated films. But, with only so much room for new streaming services, senior execs are reportedly debating whether to walk away from these lucrative rights deals when they expire at the end of the year.
Disney previously pulled its movies from Netflix and AT&T’s WarnerMedia has taken a similar approach to get subscribers by also releasing its films at theaters and on HBO Max.
Peacock has put The Office front and center and relied on sports and nostalgia to get customers to its service. But, higher-ups at NBCU are now wondering whether the movies and shows leased out to others could boost Peacock’s customer base, which is 33 million at the moment. Execs are also apparently considering a strategy that lets Peacock share rights with another service, similar to its deal with Disney’s Hulu for Modern Family.
Source Engadget