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Fans of “The Voice” who are accustomed to streaming the show on Hulu the day after it airs will have to make other arrangements starting in September, according to Decider. The long-running NBC talent competition, along with “Saturday Night Live, “Law and Order: Organized Crime” and other TBD programs will all be moving to Peacock. As Decider points out, “Streaming services are making it harder and harder for us to only have a couple of subscriptions.”
Why Is This Happening?
According to Yahoo! “The decision to sever ties with Hulu comes as NBCU tries to drive more subscribers to Peacock. At the end of last year, it had 9 million paying subscribers (most of whom opt for the $5 ad-supported tier) and 24.5 million monthly active accounts.”
The outlet adds, “It’s unclear how many of those are using the free tier. Comcast subscribers can access an ad-supported version of Peacock Premium at no extra cost.”
Some experts are predicting that this could be a sign that Hulu is on its way out. IndieWire reports “Losing NBC’s next-day programming is a significant blow to Hulu, which is co-owned by NBCUniversal parent Comcast (1/3) and Disney (2/3 and the controlling stake).”
Hulu already lost next-day streaming from the CW years ago, which means ABC and Fox will now be the only major networks left to offer this service on Hulu, the outlet confirms.
Although cable subscribers can always watch “The Voice” live or record it on their DVR to watch later, many fans are going to feel obligated to sign up for Peacock if they don’t have cable. Basically, that is the plan. Founder and chief analyst of nScreenMedia, Colin Dixon relayed to IndieWire, “linear television is not the way people want to watch it. They want to watch it on-demand. They want to watch it when they’re ready. And that’s where Peacock I think is going to win.”
As of May 2, 2022 (the latest date figures are available), Hulu had 45.6 million subscribers and was profitable, according to their website. They also have over 70,000 movies and TV shows and over 80 live channels. The website still lists NBCUniversal as one of its channels.
Dixon told IndieWire, “It does have a large subscriber base. If somebody would take it on now — or soon…they could likely provide the funding needed to help it maintain its position in the market.”
As for Peacock, “Keeping popular shows like SNL and The Voice as streaming exclusives could help NBCU boost Peacock user numbers,” Yahoo! reports.
What Does This Mean for ‘Voice’ Fans?
Viewers can currently stream past episodes of “The Voice” on the Peacock app free of charge. Starting in September, new episodes will be available the next day after they air, just like they were on Hulu. However, viewers will need to subscribe to Peacock Premium, either with or without commercials.
For viewers who do not mind watching ads, the price is $4.99 per month. There is also the option of a commercial-free plan called Peacock Premium Plus, which is $9.99 a month, according to the Peacock website.
Subscribers can also save 17 percent if they subscribe annually instead of monthly, the website explains. There is also a side note, which is that “due to streaming rights, a small amount of programming will still contain ads (Peacock channels, events, and a limited number of shows and movies).”
“The Voice” will begin airing Monday, September 19, at 8 p.m. ET.
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