NBCUniversal and Amazon have announced a partnership to bring the entirety of the 2022 Winter Olympics to Fire TV owners.
Starting today through to February 20, Amazon Fire TV owners will be able to see live and on-demand content airing on NBCUniversal networks and streaming on Peacock.
All Fire TV owners will be able to see key events on the Fire TV home screen, and will then be sent to Peacock to watch the Olympic coverage. Live coverage looks like it will be entirely free through the Peacock app over the next few weeks, however watching on-demand content will require a Peacock Premium subscription.
“Our goal is to provide the ultimate fan experience on Fire TV that enables every customer to never miss a moment of NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games,” said Charlotte Maines, Director, Fire TV in a press statement. “We’re making it easier for customers to browse and click into their must-see events and viewers can simply use their voice to find start times, ways to watch, or specific events – just say, ’Alexa, play the Olympics on Peacock.’”
Analysis: That’s one way to get people to sign up for Peacock Premium
There’s decidedly less engagement around this year’s 2022 Olympic Games than previous years, so having a hub on a mainstream smart TV platform could help stir up some interest in NBC’s on-going coverage of the games.
That being said, locking all the on-demand content behind the Peacock Premium paywall feels like a real bronze medal move in what would’ve otherwise been a gold medal-winning accomplishment from NBCUniversal.
Clearly, NBCUniversal is hoping that enough folks will be interested in the Olympics that it could drive up Peacock Premium subscription numbers while offering unpaid subscribers a small window into the action going on in Beijing.
That said, something is better than nothing – especially for all of us cord-cutters out there – but it does sting that we won’t be able to watch every match without shelling out for Hulu and Netflix’s lackluster competitor.
