Peacock Adding Reelz Channel to Lineup; ‘On Patrol: Live’ to Stream Live, On Demand
Peacock Adding Reelz Channel to Lineup; ‘On Patrol: Live’ to Stream Live, On Demand
Fans of the hit police ride-along series “On Patrol: Live” will soon have a new way to watch the show. NBCUniversal has announced that it is partnering with the cable channel Reelz to add the network to its Peacock streaming platform beginning on March 1.
Users of both the Peacock Premium ($4.99 per month) and Premium Plus ($9.99 per month) tiers will have access to a live stream of Reelz cable channel, plus on-demand episodes of select content from the network that Peacock users will be able to watch any time.
While this is a significant programming boon for Peacock, Reelz, and viewers, there will be one interruption in the channel’s streaming availability. Since March 2021, Peacock has been the exclusive streaming home of WWE premium events, and part of that deal is that the promotion has an exclusivity arrangement with NBCU to be the only wrestling organization on Peacock.
Therefore, there will be a weekly break in Reelz programming on the service for the next 10 weeks. In February, the channel became the home of Major League Wrestling, with new episodes from he promotion airing at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday nights. So, for the remaining 10 weeks of MLW’s season, the Reelz live linear channel will be unavailable on Peacock. However, all of the on-demand content from the channel will still be available. Then, after the 10-week window for the MLW season, the channel will be available on Tuesday evenings in full.
A breakout hit for Reelz, “On Patrol: Live” has helped grown the network's audience by 270% since it acquired the show. Fans will be able to watch new episodes live via the channel livestream from 9 p.m. to 12 midnight ET every Friday and Saturday night, and the episodes will be available to stream on-demand on Peacock the next day.
Peacock has built a dedicated fan base for documentaries and true-crime series with recent successes, including “Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies,” which launched as Peacock’s most-watched unscripted series; “Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert”; and thought-provoking documentary exploring Barney the Dinosaur, “I Love You, You Hate Me.” This type of content pairs well with Reelz’s signature raw storytelling including documenting the work of law enforcement and going deep inside the criminal justice system.
Launching on March 1 on Peacock, the Reelz channel includes the network’s top series “On Patrol: Live,” “On Patrol: First Shift,” “Jail,” “Cops,” “Autopsy: The Last Hours of…” and more. “On Patrol: Live” recently got a 90-episode renewal from Reelz, so users will be able to catch it on Peacock until at least January 2024, assuming the partnership remains in place.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” “The Office,” and original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports and NBC programming, including the NFL, MLB, WWE, the Olympics, the Premier League, NASCAR, the French Open, college football and basketball, and the PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.