NBCUniversal agrees content deal with ViacomCBS to bulk up Peacock

The Godfather Part II

NBCUniversal has signed a deal with ViacomCBS to license a number of its movies and TV shows for upcoming streamer Peacock.

Peacock will launch on July 15 in the US with a free tier which offers more than 7,500 hours of content, an ad-supported premium tier with 15,000 hours of content (including live sports such as the English Premier League) and an ad-free premium tier.

Now that content library is being bolstered with the addition of hit shows including Ray Donovan, The Affair, Undercover Boss, and Real Husbands of Hollywood which will all be available with the launch of the service while simultaneously being available on ViacomCBS platforms such as AVOD PlutoTV. Other shows, such as Charmed will launch at a later date.

In addition, the deal will see premium films from the Paramount library streaming on Peacock in limited exclusivity windows throughout 2021, 2022 and 2023. The films highlighted in a press release announcing the move are all older titles, including The Godfather trilogy, Patriot Games and Fatal Attraction.

Frances Manfredi, president, content acquisition and strategy, Peacock, said:“We are truly excited to bring some of the most popular movies and series from across the ViacomCBS family of brands to Peacock. We continue to expand the Peacock catalog with premium programming from NBCUniversal and beyond; partnering with companies like ViacomCBS to ensure that all of our viewers can choose from the best entertainment options available in the market today.”

Dan Cohen, president of ViacomCBS global distribution group, said: “This agreement with Peacock demonstrates the incredible and enduring value of ViacomCBS content,” said “The partnership we are announcing today is consistent with our strategy to maximize the value of our content by selectively licensing our library product to third parties while prioritizing franchise IP for our own platforms.”

Such a big distribution deal is interesting from a ViacomCBS perspective, with CEO Bob Bakish last month saying that “at this point, we will not license critical mass of any of our key programming areas — areas like sci-fi, kids or procedurals — to any single player.”

ViacomCBS will launch its own ‘super service’ streamer in 2021 that will effectively be a reimagining of the existing CBS All Access product and offer 30,000 hours of content at launch.