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NBC Wanted a Peacock Bundle

NBC Wanted a Peacock Bundle

NBC Wanted...WHAT?

October 5, 2021

There's bad news for YouTube TV subscribers right now. NBCUniversal and Alphabet's YouTube TV are at odds over broadcast rights agreements. But there's a new angle in all of this that's particularly bad news for the cord-cutting industry as a whole.

Streamer's Spotlight: NBC Wants to Force Peacock on Everyone

You may have heard that Google's YouTube TV and NBC are in a bit of a spat over carriage rights. That's nothing new. This happens every year. What's *new*, however, are the details about what's happening behind the scenes and specifically, what NBC was asking for.

1. NBC Wanted to Add Peacock Subs to the Deal

Content providers asking for more money during contract renegotiations is nothing new. This is part of the reason why cable TV pricing and cord-cutting prices slowly increase over time. But with NBC and YouTube TV, the biggest sticking point was not so much the price increase as it was NBCUniversal wanting to make Peacock subscriptions as part of the deal.

According to

multiple reports

, NBC demanded that YouTube TV bundle Peacock subscriptions with its channel package on the streaming service. Not only would this increase the price further, but it also creates a precedent that Google may not want to see happen.

2. YouTube TV Is Already Expensive

One big issue this would create is price. Google's live TV streaming service is already one of the priciest on the market at $64.99 per month. Bundling a Peacock subscription with NBC's channels would up that price by a few dollars. Likely enough to put YouTube TV into the $69-$70 range. Already, YouTube TV and its similarly-priced competitor Hulu + Live TV have been losing customers throughout 2020. Most of this can be tied to price increases.

3. Peacock Is Technically a Competitor

Peacock is multi-channel TV provider in and of itself. By bundling Peacock into its service, YouTube may likely reduce its own usage stats. Unless, of course, Peacock is accessible through the YouTube TV app, which is unlikely. Bundling a Peacock subscription would be counter-productive to Google's goals.

4. NBC Thankfully Dropped Its Demand

Here's the good news: NBC ultimately dropped its demand for Peacock bundling. But that still leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouths that they tried. If providers like CBS also start demanding this type of bundling, cord-cutting prices could rise even higher for multi-channel providers like YouTube TV. And for cord-cutters, that's the worst possible news.