Peacock Strikes Licensing Deal For Paramount Titles Like 'The Godfather,' 'Catch Me If You Can,' And More
Peacock is beefing up its library. Paramount movies like The Godfather trilogy, Catch Me If You Can, The Talented Mr. Ripley, American Beauty, and TV shows like Ray Donovan, The Affair, and Charmed are coming to the NBCUniversal streaming service as part of a new content licensing deal with ViacomCBS.
Peacock announced that it has struck a new content licensing deal with ViacomCBS that will bring popular Paramount movies and TV shows to the fledgling streaming service.
Among the classic Paramount films include the Godfather trilogy, Catch Me If You Can, The Talented Mr. Ripley, American Beauty, Patriot Games, Last Holiday, Fatal Attraction, The Firm, An Officer and a Gentleman, and more, which will be available to stream on Peacock in "limited exclusivity windows" throughout 2021, 2022, and 2023. This likely means that the films won't be exclusive to the service, but will be rotated between it and other streaming platforms.
But hit ViacomCBS series like Ray Donovan, The Affair, Charmed, Undercover Boss, The Game,Everybody Hates Chris and Real Husbands of Hollywood will be available to stream on Peacock upon its launch on July 15, though they will continue to be available on ViacomCBS platforms. Frances Manfredi, the president of Content Acquisition and Strategy at Peacock said in a statement:
"We are truly excited to bring some of the most popular movies and series from across the ViacomCBS family of brands to Peacock. We continue to expand the Peacock catalog with premium programming from NBCUniversal and beyond; partnering with companies like ViacomCBS to ensure that all of our viewers can choose from the best entertainment options available in the market today."
"This agreement with Peacock demonstrates the incredible and enduring value of ViacomCBS content," added President Dan Cohen of the ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group. "The partnership we are announcing today is consistent with our strategy to maximize the value of our content by selectively licensing our library product to third parties while prioritizing franchise IP for our own platforms."
The ViacomCBS deal adds a few much-needed classics to the Peacock library, which includes several originals like Brave New World and the feature film Psych 2: Lassie Come Home as well as beloved NBC shows like Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, Cheers, and Friday Night Lights. However, Peacock has to compete with new streaming platforms like Disney+ and HBO Max, both of which have some of the most impressive collections of library titles out there. Peacock has the Fast & Furious franchise, as well as beloved films like E.T., Lost in Translation and Shrek, but bringing a few universally hailed classics like The Godfather will help beef up the new platform's chances in becoming a contender in the increasingly competitive streaming wars.
Peacock launches on July 15, 2020 across mobile, web and connected TV platforms with a free tier and Peacock Premium for $4.99 per month, which features more than 15,000 hours of content.