Instead of trying to beat YouTube, Peacock will join it

Peacock has previously bundled with Apple TV, though that probably didn’t extend its reach the way that YouTube will be able to. “The first principle for us was, does this accelerate Peacock’s long-term growth? And the answer to that is yes,” said NBCUniversal media group chairman Matt Strauss in an interview with CNBC. This reads like a certain amount of pride-swallowing, but probably a necessary amount, given that Peacock has been regularly losing money; in just one quarter of 2024, it was said to have lost $825 million, though it did finally turn a profit in this most recent quarter. The streamer also has significantly fewer subscribers than basically everything except Apple TV, while as of March 2025, YouTube Premium was reported to have 125 million subscribers, per Deadline. But by riding YouTube’s coattails, “Peacock will now be one of the largest domestic streamers,” says Strauss. “It’s going to significantly expand our reach.”