Starting Wednesday, content from Hallmark Media is joining the Peacock streaming service with live linear and on-demand content.
The companies inked what they called a “first-of-its-kind linear plus SVOD” agreement for the network, which will see Peacock subscribers able to stream live simulcasts of three Hallmark linear channels as well as access on-demand next-day content, and a slate of movies from the Hallmark library – including “signature holiday favorites.”
Programming encompasses the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and Hallmark Drama – with live simulcasts of all three channels and current season content available on Peacock.
To boost visibility on the platform, Peacock is featuring a dedicated Hallmark brand hub on the streaming service’s homepage, serving as a single jumping off point for all of the Hallmark Media content.
Some of the series available live and next-day include “When Calls the Heart” and primetime series premiering in 2023 “Ride” and “The Way Home.”
According to Peacock, the Hallmark hub will also have an on-demand collection with new premiere movies and dozens of older Hallmark movies included with a subscription.
In a statement, Kelly Campbell, president of Peacock and Direct-to-Consumer at NBCUniversal, called it a “groundbreaking partnership” that delivers Hallmark viewers a unique viewing experience “while continuing to grow our audience, boosting engagement across both brands.”
“As we continue to make Peacock a premium streaming destination, Hallmark is exactly the type of brand we want to align with,” Campbell stated.
The partnership also comes ahead of the holidays, during which Hallmark turns up its annual holiday franchise Countdown to Christmas, which is a 24/7 lineup of holiday programming.
For Hallmark, it presents a new way to reach viewers with its channels typically found on traditional pay TV.
“We’re proud to enter this partnership with Peacock and bring our widely beloved Hallmark content to their subscribers,” said Wonya Lucas, president and CEO of Hallmark Media, in a statement. “The opportunity to provide our devoted fanbase access to all three of Hallmark’s linear networks will allow our audience to continue to grow and connect in meaningful ways.”
For Peacock it means new live linear channels on the platform from a third-party partner. Already the NBCUniversal streaming service (with parent Comcast) has been boosting the streaming service with content from its own traditional linear networks, including recently bringing next-day content from NBC and Bravo to Peacock.
During Comcast’s earnings call last week, CEO Dave Watson said Peacock was seeing a nice uplift from next-day broadcast content. He also said the aim is to get Peacock to such a scale where the larger company can be indifferent between putting content on linear and putting it on Peacock.
Peacock is also teed up for more sports programming next year, when it will become the exclusive home of Big Ten Saturday Night football starting in 2023, along with eight extra Big Ten football games each season.
In the third quarter Peacock grew its paid subscriber base to now more than 15 million users and counts around 30 million monthly active accounts.