Spectrum TV, owned by Charter, has struck a new deal with NBCUniversal to bring the latter’s streaming service, Peacock, to the pay-TV customers at no extra charge. This move broadens Spectrum’s offering of online streaming services which now includes Peacock, Disney+, ESPN+, AMC+, Paramount+, Max, Discovery+, ViX and BET+. These offerings are worth about $65 and further improve the value of Spectrum’s TV Select package for its subscribers.
While the financial terms of this deal have not been disclosed yet, the companies did confirm that Spectrum will continue to carry the “full portfolio” of linear TV channels, including NBC, Telemundo, USA, and Bravo. Furthermore, this deal also gives Charter the ability to sell premium tiers of Peacock to its subscribers.
Matt Bond, chairman of content distribution for NBCUniversal, said, “This extension of our strategic relationship with Charter ensures Spectrum video customers will continue to have access to the leading media portfolio, whether they choose to watch on traditional TV or stream it on Peacock. We also achieved our primary goal, which was to strike a deal that recognizes the value of our linear programming and the investments we’ve made in developing premium content, expanding the distribution of Peacock to more consumers. We are pleased to partner with Charter to reach these objectives to the benefit of our viewers.”
Just last year, Spectrum TV was involved in a high-profile dispute with Disney, where the cable company demanded revamping the model for how it sells TV by including streaming services along with their TV packages. Back then, Spectrum TV was indeed able to cut a deal with Disney to include Disney+ and now with the addition of Peacock, the value for money offered by Spectrum TV looks significantly better.
Tom Montemagno, the executive VP of programming acquisition for Charter Communications, said, “With the renewal of our long-standing partnership with NBCUniversal, we now have completed deals with every major programmer to create better flexibility and greater value to our customers by including DTC streaming apps with their Spectrum TV service, at no extra cost. As we look ahead to 2025, we plan to extend this customer-first philosophy and deliver even greater value and choice to better align with customers’ current viewing preferences, including through hybrid linear DTC relationships, DTC streaming to Internet-only subscribers, and smaller video packages with DTC add-ons. We appreciate NBCUniversal’s willingness to join forces with us for the benefit of our video and broadband customers.”