At Meta Connect 2022, the tech giant announced a three-year partnership with NBCUniversal that would bring Peacock to the Meta Quest virtual reality headset. Today, the streaming app is now available on Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro devices.
Subscribers can get Peacock in the Meta Store and stream 90,000 hours of movies and TV shows in VR, such as fan-favorites like “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Yellowstone,” as well as Peacock originals like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.”
Users can also watch live sporting events in VR, including Major League Baseball, Premier League soccer, WWE wrestling, Big Ten Football and NFL games, among others.
On Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro, users can multitask by watching multiple screens at once. So, Peacock subscribers can watch content within the streaming app while also browsing the internet or using other apps.
Plus, users will soon get to interact with the Dunder Mifflin gang in virtual reality. Later this year, Meta is bringing NBCU IP to Meta Horizon Worlds and the Meta Avatars Store. NBCU IP coming to these immersive environments includes DreamWorks, Universal Monsters, Halloween Horror Nights, Blumhouse and more.
Peacock is also giving eligible customers limited-time offers.
Peacock subscribers who already own a Meta Quest 2 or Meta Quest Pro can get a Peacock Premium subscription at no additional cost for three months. Peacock customers who purchase a Meta Quest device will get a free one-year subscription to Peacock Premium.
Customers must be 18 years and older and either live in the United States or U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands) to qualify for the offers.
The offer ends on April 11, 2024.
“We’re excited to bring the Peacock App to Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro,” said Jarred Kennedy, VP, Immersive Apps and Experiences at Meta, in a statement. “With Meta Quest 2 and Pro, you can turn any room into your own virtual entertainment theater, and now users have access to an even larger collection of fan-favorite movies, TV, and sports.”
As the streamer struggles to keep up with its larger competitors Netflix and HBO Max, Peacock likely hopes the offer will bring more subscribers to the platform. In the fourth quarter of 2022, the streaming service gained five million paying subscribers, bringing the total to 20 million. However, the company also reported an adjusted EBITDA loss of $978 million.
Peacock has shifted away from its free offering, killing its free tier to new customers. Also, it no longer gives Xfinity customers free access to the Peacock Premium plan. Peacock will announce its Q1 2023 financial results on April 27.
Meta is likely also betting on the partnership for more revenue as it reported three quarterly revenue declines in a row. The most recent earnings report showed a 4% decrease in revenue year over year. In 2022, its virtual reality division lost $3.67 billion. Meta will report its first-quarter results on April 26.
In January, Meta announced it expanded its deal with the NBA to bring 52 live VR games to the Meta Quest headsets.