Apple TV joins with NBC’s Peacock to offer new streaming bundle
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Apple has been expanding its own streaming business and raised the price for Apple TV by 30 per cent in August.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Apple and Comcast’s NBCUniversal are teaming up to launch a new streaming bundle that will offer wide-ranging content from live events like the NBA to popular franchises like Ted Lasso and blockbuster movies for US$15 (S$19.40) a month.
The new package will combine the recently re-branded Apple TV (formerly AppleTV+) and NBC’s Peacock and will be available Oct 20, the companies said in a statement on Oct 16.
The bundle offers savings of more than 30 per cent over the Peacock Premium ad-supported plan plus Apple TV on their own.
“We’re redefining what the customer journey should be for a streaming bundle with rich sampling and a smooth sign-up process, and we’re broadening the reach of Peacock to even more audiences,” said Mr Matt Strauss, chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, in the statement.
Other television networks have also bundled their streaming options as more viewers abandon cable packages. Fox and Walt Disney’s ESPN launched a US$40-a-month streaming deal for their sports, news and entertainment content earlier in October.
Peacock currently streams content from NBC and Bravo, as well as films and original series. The platform will also begin showing National Basketball Association games on Oct 21 following a US$76 billion deal that Comcast, Disney and Amazon.com signed with the NBA in 2024.
Comcast is currently in the process of spinning off some of its cable channels, including CNBC and MSNBC, into a separate company called Versant. It is retaining Peacock, NBC and Bravo under the NBCUniversal brand.
The company, which began laying off 150 people from its news group this week ahead of the spinoff, has worked to boost exposure to Peacock. Comcast struck a deal with Amazon in August to add Peacock to the ecommerce company’s Prime Video Channels.
Apple has been expanding its own streaming business and raised the price for Apple TV by 30 per cent in August. The platform’s television show Severance led the 2025 Emmy Awards nominations, while its series The Studio won for best comedy.
Apple TV also airs live sports, including Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball games. Still, the platform has struggled to attract and retain customers and is losing more than US$1 billion a year.
The standard US$15-a-month bundle includes the ad-supported Peacock Premium while a US$20-a-month version is mostly ad-free.
Peacock Premium currently costs US$11 a month and Apple TV is US$13. Apple One subscribers on the Family and Premier plans can subscribe to Peacock Premium Plus and get a 35 per cent discount. BLOOMBERG
