
L.A. Tech Updates: Peacock Will Play on Android and Google; Snap Debuts at NewFronts
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Today:
- Peacock Will Be Available on Google and Android Devices in July
- Snap Debuts at 'NewFronts' Showcase for Potential Advertisers
Peacock Will Be Available on Google and Android Devices in July
NBC's new streaming service Peacock has added Google and Android devices — including Andriod TV and Chromecast — to the apps that will stream its nearly 15,000 hours' worth of content beginning July 15. NBC has already announced plans to launch on Apple and Xbox.
Streaming will be free (but not ad-free) through October 15. Viewers can also level-up to the ad-free service for an additional $5/ month.
The service launched in mid-April across Comcast's platforms, where it hopes to add value for its parent company's 28.6 million customers.
Peacock's library will include a flock of NBC favorites like Parks & Recreation, 30 Rock and Law & Order: SVU; movies from Universal Pictures and Dreamworks Animation such as Jurassic Park, E.T. and Shrek; and news segments, talk shows, original series and content from Telemundo. Peacock will also offer a selection of live sports (once those migrate back), and in 2021 will have exclusive rights to The Office.
As we reported in April, speculation is that part of Comcast's strategy is to retain Pay-TV customers while also guiding a controlled move toward streaming, so it doesn't lose out as more customers shift toward cord-cutting.
Snap Debuts at 'NewFronts' Showcase for Potential Advertisers
For the first time, Snap is presenting at today's NewFronts, the digital media world's annual summit of presentations to woo prospective advertisers. The event is being held virtually this year.
The Santa Monica-based firm describes the occasion as "a culmination of hard work that's been happening at Snap around content and video advertising for years."
Snap will be highlighting a collection of data points:
- As of June 22, Snapchat reaches over 100 million people in the U.S., including 90% of people aged 13-24
- 229 million people worldwide reportedly use the app every day
- The company now also has more daily users aged over 25 than all of Twitter's self-described "monetizable user base"
- Total daily time spent watching shows on Discover more than doubled from Q1 2019 to Q1 2020
- Average time spent watching by people over 35 also doubled from Q1 2019 to Q1 2020
Snap will also share results of a study from Nielsen that found, for example, that a Bud Light ad campaign on Snap was nine times more efficient at reaching the target audience than television advertising. Nielsen also found that the platform provided an average 23% bump on top of TV campaigns, across 20 separate ad campaigns that appeared on Snap.
The company will also be announcing a new unscripted original series at the event, as well as the renewal of Driven, a docuseries that the company says reached over 15 million viewers in its first installment.
Across all Discover, 45 shows have reached monthly audiences exceeding 15 million viewers, the company says, and the platform now operates with over 350 partners in 15 countries.
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Sam primarily covers entertainment and media for dot.LA. Previously he was Marjorie Deane Fellow at The Economist, where he wrote for the business and finance sections of the print edition. He has also worked at the XPRIZE Foundation, U.S. Government Accountability Office, KCRW, and MLB Advanced Media (now Disney Streaming Services). He holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson, an MPP from UCLA Luskin and a BA in History from University of Michigan. Email him at samblake@dot.LA and find him on Twitter @hisamblake