By Jonathan Easton
NBCUniversal’s decision to bring The Office to its Peacock streaming service seems to have been vindicated, with the show alone accounting for more than 9 per cent of all streaming time in the US at the beginning of January.
The show arrived on NBCU’s streamer on January 1 following years as a mainstay on Netflix, and now forms one of Peacock’s central offerings. Leaning on the show’s popularity, NBC has created ‘superfan’ episodes of the show with deleted scenes and a live channel dubbed The Office Zen, which is “a 24/7 channel of ambient noise devoted to the sights and sounds of the office for anyone working at home.”
All of this hype has had an immediate impact, with streaming aggregator Reelgood revealing the full extent of its success. Maria Santos, an analyst at the company, said: “Upon arrival on Peacock (Free + Premium), an even sharper incline was observed. The share of streams for The Office rose to 9.2 per cent from January 1 to 7, topping Bridgerton and The Mandalorian on Reelgood’s list of the top 100 most-watched TV shows for that specific week.”
NBCU is attempting to entice in new subscribers, by offering the first two seasons of the show for free and locking the subsequent seven seasons behind the US$5 per month premium tier.
This, Reelgood says, has had the desired effect. Peacock Free sign-ups increased by 17 per cent during the week while paid sign-ups increased by 5 per cent.
NBCU will hope that the comfort viewing of The Office along with the likes of 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation will make it a stable part of US streaming consumer habits in the coming months and years.https://www.digitaltveurope.com
