NBCUniversal to Take on Netflix With ‘Peacock’ Streaming Service

(Bloomberg) -- NBCUniversal revealed the name and initial lineup for its new online TV platform, aiming to challenge Netflix Inc. and other streaming rivals with more than 15,000 hours of programming.

The service, slated to debut in April 2020, will be called Peacock, a tip of the hat to NBC’s logo. It will include reruns of NBC shows, including “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation,” as well as a slate of original shows, the Comcast Corp. division said on Tuesday.

Peacock will join a crowded field of streaming services, all of which are fighting for TV viewers’ eyeballs and wallets. Walt Disney Co. and Apple Inc. are both launching offerings in November, while AT&T Inc.’s WarnerMedia is readying a product for early next year.

Peacock’s original programming will include a “Battlestar Galactica” reboot from “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail and the drama “Dr. Death” starring Alec Baldwin. It also will feature comedies from the likes of Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Lorne Michaels.

The company will draw heavily on its vault of content. In addition to streaming reruns, Peacock will reboot the comedies “Saved by the Bell” and “Punky Brewster.”

Peacock also will offer more than 3,000 hours of Spanish-language programming from Telemundo.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nick Turner in Los Angeles at nturner7@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, John J. Edwards III

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