Peacock's next growth bet: selling subscriptions for other streamers

• NBCU's Peacock is plotting to sell add-on subscriptions to other streamers.
• The streamer is pitching others that offer content that complements its reality TV and sports fare.
• Peacock is one of the smaller general-interest streamers and has struggled to grow its TV viewership share.

Peacock's next growth bet isn't a blockbuster show or sports deal.

NBCU's flagship streaming service is plotting to sell add-on subscriptions to other specialty streamers on its platform, four people familiar with the plans told Business Insider.

Peacock has approached streamers about selling subscriptions to offer viewers content that complements its reality and sports-heavy line-up, these people said. Peacock expects to start with one streamer this year and is likely to limit the offering to a small number of partners.

Starz, which already has multiple distribution partnerships, is one that's being considered, two insiders said. Starz declined to comment.

Two people briefed on Peacock's pitch saw it as a way for smaller streamers to reach new subscribers in a relatively uncluttered environment, and they hoped Peacock would eventually offer features such as the ability for streamers to offer free samples of their shows.

They described Peacock's terms as favorable compared to Amazon, which has a large business selling subscriptions to programmers big and small, from HBO Max to Crunchyroll. Amazon's channel terms vary by partner, but two partners told Business Insider in 2025 that Amazon's subscription revenue cut was over 50% in their deals.

Peacock's plans come at a time when streaming services — especially outside market leaders Netflix and Disney — face pressure to consolidate as they look to continue growing their subscriber bases while remaining profitable. Overall, paid streaming growth in the US has cooled, while cancellation rates have risen in the wake of price hikes.

Streamers like Peacock are trying to make themselves stickier

TV viewership growth for streamers in the US is largely stagnant, and subscribers are navigating an increasingly complex landscape. Streaming services are trying tactics like discounts and bundling to keep people from leaving their platforms.

Some other streaming platforms have adopted a marketplace approach that's broader than what Peacock is contemplating. Amazon is by far the leader. Last year, Amazon reported that its "Channels" program accounted for about 25% of US streamer sign-ups, citing Antenna data. Roku, YouTube, and device makers like Samsung and LG also let people subscribe to streamers through their platforms.

Peacock, for its part, already sells add-on subscriptions to NBC Sports Regional Sports Networks, which it shares a corporate parent with. It also sells a bundle with Apple TV+ that involves cross-platform sampling and a discounted price.

Peacock, with less than 2% of TV watch time in the US, has struggled to grow its share of the TV pie, according to Nielsen. That makes it the second-smallest of the subscription streamers Nielsen measures, ahead only of Warner Bros. Discovery (1.4%), which includes Discovery+ and HBO Max.

US-only Peacock also has relatively few subscribers, with about 44 million. Its nearest rival, Paramount+, has around 79 million global subscribers, and both are well behind Netflix, which is No. 1 with more than 325 million subscribers.

Still, Peacock has far more subscribers than many specialty streamers. AMC Networks, for example, reported about 10 million subscribers across its portfolio of streamers, including AMC+, Acorn TV, and Shudder, as of the end of 2025.

"Peacock has been struggling," said Alan Wolk, a media industry analyst. "There haven't been a whole lot of reasons to watch it, so giving people another reason to subscribe is a smart idea. If you ask consumers what's your biggest frustration with streamers, it's always, 'I can't find anything.' So the more you can put things together under one interface, the happier people will be."

A global survey by Nielsen in November found more than 46% say it's harder to find the content they want to watch because there are too many streamers, rising to 51% in the US, with people spending 14 minutes searching for what to watch and 49% likely to cancel because they can't find something.

The survey also showed 66% of people expressed interest in a guide to present content information across all services.

James Faris contributed reporting.