NBCU’s Peacock And YouTube Partner: Is Direct To Consumer Dead? – Forbes

Portland, OR, USA – Jun 9, 2023: Assorted streaming apps. getty Remember when the flavor of the month for media companies was having their own DTC (direct to consumer) streaming app? No more pesky gatekeepers like the cable business – we’re going to own the customer relationship! We don’t need no stinking distribution partners! What did NBCU and YouTube agree to do here? Well, with the announcement of the new partnership between NBCUniversal’s Peacock and YouTube, DTC sure looks like just one playing card in a very old deck called syndication. No man is an island, and neither is a streaming app from a traditional media company. It isn’t like NBCU and YouTube haven’t done business before. YouTube has a flood of NBCU content from NBC News, SNL, iconic NBC network entertainment like Johnny Carson and David Letterman, and from Peacock itself. But this deal feels like a pointed acknowledgment from NBCU about the increasingly critical role played not only by YouTube and YouTube Premium but the Big Tech platforms that are only increasing their domination of consumer media consumption. According to this new agreement, beginning in 2027, Peacock Premium, NBCU’s ad-supported subscription tier, will be available to YouTube Premium
Read More