NBCUniversal added 2 million subscribers to its Peacock streaming service in the third quarter, bringing its total to over 15 million.
The growth was almost 70% leap year-over-year, noting that Peacock’s membership did not show any net profit in the previous quarter.
Parent Comcast Communications said Thursday that paid subscribers, who access the service for $4.99 per month, joined the 14 million viewers who access the streamer for free via cable subscriptions or bundles, Which brings to the total number of users on the service. About 30 million, according to CEO Brian Roberts.
“More has become the best streaming value on the market, providing customers with enormous premium content across movies, TV, entertainment, sports and news in English and Spanish,” said Roberts during a conference call with analysts.
Roberts said customer growth also reflected increased usage across delivery platforms, from cable to wireless.
The results were a bright spot in the cable and media giant’s third-quarter results, and followed Netflix’s strong third-quarter report last week. The streaming powerhouse added 2.4 million subscribers during the third quarter.
Amazon is set to report its quarterly results after the bell on Thursday, and will provide insight into Prime Video’s growth. Other streaming leaders including Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount and Disney are on deck to report results over the next two weeks.
Comcast is ending its content deals with other streamers to bring its programming to Peacock, including “Saturday Night Live,” which was the #1 in-demand program on Hulu. It is also ramping up original content on the service, and captivating viewers with live sports such as “Sunday Night Football” and Grand Slam tennis.
Roberts is looking at the World Cup later this year as a potential boost. In the fourth quarter and 2023, he said, Peacock has “a strong slate of highly anticipated origins,” Roberts said. The lineup includes “Mrs. Davis,” and “Poker Face.”
“Although it was launched only two years ago, Peacock is already an important part of our portfolio and it shows how we are running our media business as a whole,” Roberts said.
Despite subscription gains, the unit’s losses increased during this period. The unit saw revenue of $506 million and an adjusted loss of $614 million during the three months ended September 30, compared to $230 million in revenue and an adjusted loss of $520 million in the third quarter of 2021.
Peacock observed an increase in advertising revenue, the company said, without providing specific figures. Costs also rose as service ramps up in core content.
