Roku and Comcast Finally Agree on Deal to Carry NBC's Peacock on Roku

NBC's new streaming service Peacock is finally available on Roku devices — the first sign of a [...]

By Michael Hein

NBC's new streaming service Peacock is finally available on Roku devices — the first sign of a compromise in the so-called "streaming wars." New streaming platforms like Peacock have been at a stalemate with popular streaming hardware like Roku for months with no end in sight. NBCUniversal triumphantly announced its deal with Roku in a press release on Monday.

"We are pleased Roku recognizes the value in making NBCUniversal's incredible family of apps and programming, including Peacock, available to all of their users across the country," said an NBCUniversal spokesperson. Peacock has been available to certain cable customers since the spring, and to all streaming customers since mid-July, yet without compatibility on their preferred hardware, many were frustrated with the service. The delay was caused by a disagreement between the software and hardware providers about which of their products customers would be more loyal to.

"Roku's incredible reach will not only help us ensure Peacock is available to our fans wherever they consume video but continue to expand NBCUniversal's unrivaled digital presence across platforms," the statement went on. It also noted that about 15 million people have already signed up for Peacock on Roku devices since it launched on Friday, according to a report by Mashable. Roku has a total of 37 million active users.

"Audience demand for compelling content is fueling a surging shift to streaming for a majority of American households today," said Roku's vice president of content acquisition, Tedd Cittadine. "We're focused on delivering the kind of high-quality news and entertainment content Roku users want and love and we're excited to welcome Peacock's world-class programming to America's #1 TV streaming platform and help NBCUniversal build a bigger fan base through our industry-leading, audience development tools."

Roku devices are some of the most-used hardware for streaming in the U.S. today, along with Amazon's Fire TV line. Both companies have clashed with NBCUniversal's parent company, WarnerMedia, since the launch of HBO Max in the spring. The company's had existing deals where HBO and NBC were treated like TV networks, not streaming services. When HBO Max and Peacock demanded similar deals to the ones Netflix, Hulu and other streamers get, the stalemate began.

While Roku users can now enjoy Peacock, HBO Max is still not available, and Amazon Fire TV users do not have access to either. Many TV fans are turning to other devices like video game consoles, the Google Chromecast or Smart TVs to get their fix.

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