The takeaways
- 1.5 million users downloaded NBCUniversal’s Peacock in its first 6 days.
- Peacock performed 25% higher than Quibi in the same time period, though much less than bigger brand Disney+.
- NBCUniversal has not yet released official figures.
What happened?
NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service was downloaded around 1.5 million times within 6 days of launching in the U.S., according to app store intelligence firm Sensor Tower. This represents 25% more than Quibi’s 1.2 million downloads but only 12% of Disney+’s 13 million during the same period.
Peacock’s mobile quickly topped the iPhone App Store when it launched on July 15 and is now in the lower 20s. It was No. 1 on iPad between July 16 and July 18. It also reached no. 2 since July 17 and No. 1 among nongame apps on Google Play.
Speaking to Forbes, a Sensor Tower spokesperson placed it “second only to Disney+ among all new subscription video on demand (SVOD) app launches since at least 2014.” Elsewhere, Quibi announced this month that its app received 5.6m downloads since launch, contradicting Sensor Tower’s claim of 4.5m.
Against the competition
As previously noted, Peacock spent 71% more on advertising than Disney+ did 2 weeks before launching, while Quibi’s U.S. iPhone app rankings plummeted despite raising $1.75 billion in funds. Though new app downloads aren’t the whole story for consumer adoption, they do provide insights on reception. Moreover, Peacock’s relative lack of brand recognition stands it in good stead when compared against Disney+.
Nevertheless, comparisons are pertinent given the rise in audio and visual streaming minutes. Quibi and Peacock were both high profile launches in a competitive market – so far, the latter has outperformed the former. Additionally, Peacock remains unavailable on Amazon Fire TV and Roku, the U.S.’s most widely owned home platforms, placing the focus more on mobile performance.
It seems fair to say that Peacock provided a strong opening marketing strategy, including free content and affordable subscriber tiers. Further information from NBCUniversal is expected in due course.
