You won’t be able to watch Peacock on Roku or Amazon platforms

By Allison Matyus July 14, 2020

When it officially launches on Wednesday, NBCUniversal’s Peacock will not be available to stream on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.

NBCUniversal reportedly did not strike a deal with either Roku or Amazon in time due to issues over control of user data and sharing of advertising inventory, CNBC reported.

Since NBCUniversal is putting a strong focus on advertising for its new Peacock platform, the company and Roku reportedly disagree around the sharing of advertising inventory between the two platforms.

The issue with Amazon Fire TV is supposedly around who gets to control user information, and NBC executives told CNBC that they don’t want Peacock to be included within Amazon Channels.

An NBCUniversal spokesperson told Digital Trends that their hope is that all platforms — including Roku and Amazon Fire TV — will carry the streaming service since consumers who purchased those devices expect access.

Amazon said they didn’t have an update on when Peacock would be available on Amazon Fire TV. Digital Trends also reached out to Roku for comment. We will update this story when we hear back.

Peacock will be the second streaming service to bail on the two platforms, the first being HBO Max.

Roku is the top connected TV platform followed by Amazon Fire TV, according to a report from eMarketer. Combined, the two platforms make up about 70% of the market.

Instead, Peacock will debut on Wednesday on other platforms like iOS and Android devices, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Xbox One. An NBCUniversal spokesperson also said that they are in talks with additional partners.

The streaming service gave early bird access to Peacock Premium for Xfinity X1 and Flex customers in April. Peacock hopes to set itself apart from competitors like Netflix or Hulu by offering not only movies and TV shows but also sports, news, and live content. In all, the service will have more than 600 films and 400 TV series.

Peacock will launch with TV shows like 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live, Saved by the Bell, Will & Grace, and more favorites. You’ll also be able to find movies like The Big Lebowski, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, the Jurassic Park franchise, The Breakfast Club, and others.

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Allison Matyus is a general news reporter at Digital Trends. She covers any and all tech news, including issues around social…

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