NBCUniversal and Apple are partnering in the streaming space, betting they can attract new subscribers by offering discounted bundles of Peacock and Apple TV. The partnership also includes a cross-sampling component, allowing standalone Apple TV and Peacock subscriptions to watch some of the other services’ programming at no additional charge.
The new Apple TV and Peacock bundle will be available to new customers in the U.S. starting Oct. 20. The package will include “Ted Lasso,” “Severance,” “The Morning Show” and Peacock’s “The Paper,” “The Office,” “The Traitors,” “Love Island” It brings together Apple Originals such as “USA,” which includes the NBA (starting Oct. 21 on Peacock, and professional basketball will return to NBCU after two games) over the decades.
U.S. customers save 37% when they subscribe to the Apple TV and Peacock Premium (ad-only) bundle for $14.99 per month, and 33% when they subscribe to the Apple TV and Peacock Premium Plus (ad-only) bundle for $19.99 per month. These deals are available through both services’ apps and websites.
On a standalone basis, Apple TV, which the tech giant is rebranding to remove the plus sign from Apple TV+, now costs $12.99 a month in the U.S. after a price hike this summer. After recent price hikes, Peacock Premium (includes ads) costs $10.99 per month, and Premium Plus (limited ads for live shows) costs $16.99 per month.
Additionally, Apple One subscribers on Family and Premier plans can subscribe to Peacock Premium Plus and receive a 35% discount. The companies say this is the first benefit of its kind for Apple’s all-in-one subscription bundle.
As part of the partnership, Apple TV app users and Peacock subscribers will be able to preview a selection of programming from partner services in their respective apps. At launch, Peacock subscribers will have access to up to three episodes of “Stick,” “Slow Horses,” “Silo,” “The Buccaneers,” “Foundation,” “Palm Royale” and “Prehistory Planet” on Apple TV at no additional charge. Conversely, Apple TV app users will be able to watch up to three episodes of Peacock’s “Law & Order,” “Bel-Air,” “Twisted Metal,” “Love Island Games,” “Happy’s Place,” “The Hunting Party” and “Real Housewives of Miami.”
Separately, Comcast, NBCU’s parent company, is offering Xfinity customers a StreamSaver bundle that offers Peacock, Apple TV, and Netflix for $15 a month. Apple TV and Peacock bundles are different. It will be available nationwide, and Apple will also partner with Peacock to sell it.
For NBCU, the Apple TV and Peacock bundle deal is part of a broader strategy to pursue more bundles and channel deals aimed at driving Peacock’s growth and exposure to even wider audiences. For example, NBCU announced an agreement with Amazon in August that would allow Prime Video customers to subscribe to Peacock. NBCU this month signed a long-term distribution agreement with Google to distribute its channels on YouTube TV, including the upcoming launch of Peacock as a subscription through its YouTube Primetime channel.
Until recently, NBCU was focused on growing Peacock’s subscriber base directly and did not intend to enter into many channel deals or bundle deals. Now, company executives believe Peacock has reached critical mass in terms of its portfolio, which includes sports rights, original production, next-day NBC and Bravo content, and movies that include Universal titles.
“There is no more perfect entertainment pairing than Apple TV and Peacock Bundle, with a complementary content portfolio featuring the best shows, movies, sports and live events,” said Matt Strauss, chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group. “With our first-of-its-kind collaboration with Apple, we are redefining what the customer journey for streaming bundles should be with rich sampling and a frictionless sign-up process, extending Peacock’s reach to even more viewers.”
“We’re excited to introduce this comprehensive bundle of great programming and bring the most popular shows and movies on Apple TV to more viewers in more places,” said Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple TV, Apple Music, Sports and Beats at Apple, in a statement.
This is a promotional video for the Apple TV-Peacock bundle.
Above: Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston from Apple TV’s “The Morning Show” and Steve Carell from “The Office.”
