TV & Video Week In Review

Report Type: 
Week In Review
Overview

Universal sends Pay 1 window movies to Peacock

Starting next year, Universal will be bringing theatrical run titles to Peacock for the first four months and last four months of the 18-month Pay 1 window, shifting the exclusive distribution away from HBO. Select third-party distributors and services will have access to the titles during the middle 10 months of the Pay 1 time period.  The move will impact high profile movies coming out in 2022 including the next installments of Jurassic World and the Minions franchises.

The NPD Take:

  • Bringing Universal’s new theatrical releases to Peacock after theatrical and home entertainment windows will help bolster the streamers content library to drive subscriptions and engagement.
  • SVOD content competition seems to be shifting to movies as studio owned DTC services leverage theatrical releases for multiple points of return on investment.

Universal & Amazon strike exclusive streaming rights deal

Following up on the news that Universal is bringing its theatrical slate to Peacock for parts of the Pay 1 window starting in 2022, it was announced that Amazon Prime Video will be the exclusive home for the live-action theatrical releases in the 10-month gap between the runs on Peacock. Additionally, the 2020 and 2021 theatrical movies will be made available on IMDBtv, Amazon’s free streaming service.

The NPD Take:

  • This furthers the new partnership with Amazon, after taking nearly a year to bring Peacock to FireTV devices, while broadening the reach of its movies in the split Pay 1 window arrangement.
  • The deal also provides Amazon with high-quality movie content to better compete with other the other major streaming services as the content battlefield shifts to theatricals.

NFL Sunday Ticket may be coming to Apple TV+

The NFL and Apple TV+ are in discussions to possibly bring NFL Sunday Ticket to the streaming service starting with the 2023 season.  The rights to the exclusive slate of games had originally been part of DirecTV, allowing fans to watch any out-of-market games on the service or via streaming. That deal is set to end with the 2022 season. However, Apple isn’t the only company in talks to take over the Sunday Ticket rights; other possible suitors include Disney/ESPN.

The NPD Take:

  • The deal could be a significant driver of recognition and subscription for Apple TV+, which has struggled to convert free trials to paid subscribers.
  • While the deal could give a boost to Apple TV+, there may be more suitable partners to take over the Sunday Ticket package that would allow for wider distribution as streaming services look toward other types of content, including sports, to enhance content offerings.