Peacock finally on Samsung smart TVs
After nearly a year in the market, Peacock has finally launched on Samsung smart TVs joining other connected devices such as Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast and others. The timing is ideal as NBCUniversal is the home to the Summer Olympic Games which is typically a boon for advertising spend. Peacock will have some exclusive programming from the summer games to drive viewership. However, the service is still missing from the all-important Fire TV.
The NPD Take:
- Peacock launching on Samsung connected TVs ahead of the Olympics will allow for wider distribution and more accessibility which can help further drive ad revenue during the games.
- While adding distribution to Samsung smart TVs is an important step, missing out on Fire TV access leaves a big hole as it is among the top three TV-connected devices in the U.S.
Walmart takes ‘Onn’ Roku and Amazon
Walmart released a low-priced streaming device, under the Onn brand, powered by Android TV. The brand will have two value-priced devices, one at $29.98, Onn TV UHD Device, featuring Dolby Audio and an HDMI cable aimed at Roku’s Express 4K model (a Walmart exclusive item that Roku just price-matched to $30) and the other a $25 model, an HD-only streaming stick. Both devices offer access to the Google Play store and Google assistant voice control.
The NPD Take:
- Pricing and placement are key and, as such, Walmart’s retail position has the potential to help grow the Android TV household base through sales of this entry level priced device.
- The TV-connected device market is already crowded and has a litany of low-priced options from incumbents Roku and Fire TV. It will be difficult for Onn to develop a market position of comparable scale.
Paramount+ adds over 1,000 movies
This week ViacomCBS-owned Paramount+ released over 1,000 movies on the service as the streaming wars heat up. The company is looking to release more than 2,500 movies to the service by the end of this summer including family fan favorite Paw Patrol which will hit theaters and the streaming service the same day. Box office hit A Quiet Place Part II will soon make its way to the platform as well. The move to release thousands of movie titles to the service comes on the heels of a price drop on the ad-supported tier last week.
The NPD Take:
- To grow its subscriber base, Paramount+ needed to up their content game to keep viewers engaged. While the service has many popular TV shows, adding a deep library of movies will keep viewers watching more content after they finish their favorite shows.
- The challenge for the streamer continues to be content discovery as the UI lacks some of the standard features such as a Watch List that are available on competitive services.