After first announcing plans to launch a standalone streaming service back in January, Comcast and NBCUniversal today have revealed that this service is set to launch in April 2020 (via The Verge).
The news was given during the company's earnings call today, where CEO Steve Burke also confirmed that the streaming service will be built on a similar platform to Sky's Now TV streaming service in the UK. Because of this, it's believed that NBCUniversal's service will likely host content from Sky Studios, which Comcast also now owns after its acquisition of Sky in 2018.
According to the company, the "vast majority" of content on the NBCUniversal service will initially be from third-party production companies, and not original shows and films. The major addition to the service will be The Office, which will be removed from Netflix in 2020 and exclusively housed on NBC's streaming platform.
Standalone streaming services have become increasingly popular over the past few years, with many individual companies removing their content from services like Netflix and Hulu to host them on their own platform. Recent major announcements for new services include Disney+, HBO Max, and Apple's own upcoming Apple TV+ platform.
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Streaming services have become the new cable: same problems, different sources.