Peacock Adds Channel Dedicated to Olympics Programming
Peacock, NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, was slated to exclusively stream events from the 2020 Olympics before the event was cancelled. Thankfully for Peacock viewers, other sports content is on the way: The streaming service has created a “Road to Tokyo” pop-up channel, which it bills as a 24/7 stream dedicated to Olympic and Paralympic classic moments, documentaries, and studio programming
Unlike most of the streaming industry’s leading platforms, Peacock boasts an array of live news and sports programming, which is a relatively unmined territory in the market. Peacock’s new channel is part of the platform’s push to further bulk up its topical sports programming as well as a bit of damage control that can give users access to some form of Olympics content, despite the 2020 event’s cancellation.
Peacock regularly updates its trending section with the latest in sports, news and pop culture, so viewers can expect to find current interviews with athletes preparing for Tokyo throughout the week. Viewers can also watch a variety of short-form video clips on-demand on Peacock, including athlete profiles on Tokyo Olympic hopefuls and memorable events that took place on specific dates in Olympic history. Peacock boasts a handful of other sports channels, such as Premier League Highlights and The NFL is Back, as well as channels solely dedicated to other sports.
The streaming service’s other sports programming includes exclusive Premier League matches, coverage of the U.S. Open Championship and Women’s Open Championships, an NFL Wild Card Playoff Game, the Tour de France, La Vuelta, as well as on-demand replays of events like Triple Crown horse racing, daily highlights from NBC Sports, and hundreds of hours of sports series, documentaries and films such as “Tiger Woods Chasing History,” “I Am Ali,” “Being Evel,” “Feherty” and “Willie.”
Peacock also boasts several Olympic documentaries, including “1968,” “Calgary ’88,” “Jessica Long,” “More Than Gold: Jesse Owens and the 1936 Berlin Olympics,” “Dream Team,” “Miracle on Ice: 40th Anniversary,” “Mikaela’s Masterpiece,” and “Lokomotiv.”
As for Peacock’s sports-related originals, the streaming service has released “In Deep with Ryan Lochte,” which centers on Lochte’s efforts to make Team USA after a scandal with Rio de Janeiro authorities caused USA Swimming to suspend the athlete.
