Peacock plans major mobile overhaul with AI search, new sports features
Peacock plans major mobile overhaul with AI search, new sports features
NBCUniversal is testing a redesigned Peacock app with vertical sports video, personalized discovery, and subscriber perks.
NBCUniversal is preparing a major overhaul of the Peacock mobile app, with new features that could change how subscribers find something to watch, follow their favorite sports teams, and interact with popular shows and movies. The company announced Wednesday that it has begun testing a collection of new features, including conversational AI-powered search, personalized content hubs, and a video player that automatically adjusts to how viewers hold their phones. NBCUniversal hopes the changes will make Peacock more useful throughout the day, whether subscribers are looking for something new to watch, catching up on clips from their favorite series, or following a live sporting event.
Key Details:
- Major mobile redesign: Peacock is testing personalized browsing, franchise hubs, and new ways to discover content, with updates continuing into early 2027.
- Flexible viewing: A new video player will automatically switch between vertical and horizontal formats, with expanded tests for basketball, golf, and “The Voice.”
- More Peacock perks: Peacock’s new membership rewards program is currently in beta, with a broader rollout planned for 2027.
Testing of the new Peacock mobile features is already underway, with additional updates planned through early 2027. The larger goal is fairly straightforward: NBCUniversal wants people to open Peacock for more than just watching a movie, television show, or sporting event. By incorporating clips, games, and other interactive features, the company hopes to give subscribers more reasons to spend time in the app, even when they aren’t planning to watch something from beginning to end.
Among the planned changes is a redesigned home screen that puts greater emphasis on individual franchises and personalized recommendations. Peacock is testing new Franchise Hubs that bring together related episodes, podcasts, short-form clips, games, and other interactive features in a single location. For example, fans of “The Traitors,” “Love Island USA,” One Chicago, and the “Minions” franchise will be able to explore content beyond the movies or television episodes themselves.
Click image to expand to full size.
A new “Jump Back In” feature will appear at the top of the app, making it easier for viewers to pick up where they left off. NBCUniversal is also experimenting with discovery tools called Trending Stack and Direct Access, which will offer different ways to browse recommendations and find programming without navigating through the traditional rows of titles.
The redesign will also expand Peacock’s existing Clips Feed, which offers short, vertically oriented videos similar to those found on social media platforms. The feed will bring together clips, podcasts, and features tied to popular NBCUniversal shows, including the recently launched Your Bravoverse feature, which uses AI to create personalized collections of moments from Bravo programming. Viewers will be able to move from short clips directly into full episodes, making it easier to discover a show and immediately begin watching it.
Click on the image to expand to full size.
The emphasis on short-form video is particularly interesting, as it suggests that NBCUniversal increasingly sees social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram as competition for subscribers’ attention, rather than simply other streaming services. By making clips and other shorter experiences a bigger part of Peacock, the company could give viewers more reasons to open the app throughout the day, even when they don’t have time to watch a full episode.
Live sports will be another major focus of the mobile overhaul. NBCUniversal says it plans to expand its existing tests of vertically formatted live video to include NCAA basketball games, golf coverage, and live simulcasts of “The Voice” later this year and into early 2027.
Those experiments will help shape Peacock’s new Dynamic Video Player, which is designed to automatically switch between vertical and horizontal playback depending on the orientation of a viewer’s device. The technology will also keep important action within the frame, theoretically making it easier to watch a game while holding a smartphone upright rather than turning it sideways.
For future NBA games, the video player will offer additional information alongside the live broadcast. A dual-screen viewing option will allow fans to access player statistics and other game details directly beneath the video feed without navigating away from the action. The new capabilities build on Peacock’s existing sports features, including Performance View and its previous experiments with vertical NBA broadcasts.
Peacock is also joining the growing number of streaming services experimenting with artificial intelligence to help subscribers find something to watch. Its upcoming conversational AI Search feature will allow viewers to describe what they are looking for using natural language, rather than requiring them to know the name of a particular movie or television show. Subscribers will also be able to ask follow-up questions and refine their searches without starting over, similar to AI-powered discovery features that Netflix announced last week.
“Our ambition is for Peacock to be more than a place to watch,” NBCU chief product officer Jim Denney said. The company believes the new features will give viewers more ways to connect with their favorite shows, sports teams, and entertainment franchises, rather than simply watching the programming available on the service.
Click image to expand to full size.
Beyond the interface changes, NBCUniversal is also preparing to expand a new Peacock membership program designed to reward eligible subscribers for using the service. The program is currently available in beta and is expected to launch more widely in 2027, offering exclusive rewards, benefits, and activities connected to NBCUniversal’s entertainment properties. The company has not yet provided specific details about the rewards or eligibility requirements.
Although testing is already underway, NBCUniversal has not announced specific launch dates for most of the new features or indicated when they will become available to all subscribers. For now, Peacock users should expect the mobile experience to evolve gradually over the coming months, with additional changes continuing into 2027.
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.