The 2022 FIFA World Cup is preparing to enter the knockout stage, but the tournament has already been a success for NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock. According to Appfigures, an analytics website that tracks and measures the performance of apps, Peacock saw huge increases in the number of customers downloading the happy in recent weeks, undoubtedly spurred on by World Cup-hungry fans.
That surge was thanks to a huge increase in downloads in both Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store. On Android devices, the Peacock app went from 813,288 downloads as of Sept. 1, 2022, to nearly 1.5M on Nov. 1.
In the Apple App store, Peacock downloads more than doubled from Sept. 1 to Nov. 1, jumping from 1,420,363 to 3,295,585. The service has become the No. 1 entertainment app downloaded in the App Store, a position it has maintained ever since Nov. 21, the day after the World Cup officially kicked off. Peacock is also the third most popular overall app in the App Store, indicating that the surge in downloads for the app is truly universal.
Click on the charts to see Peacock download trends on iOS and Google:
What may be most impressive about Peacock’s success thanks to the World Cup is that the service does not hold English-language streaming rights in the United States. Those reside with FOX and FS1, while Peacock only holds the Spanish-language streaming rights to World Cup matches in the U.S. Tubi is the on-demand home of English-language World Cup matches after the live broadcasts are over.
Another big factor in the increase in sign-ups during the month of November was the Black Friday deal that Peacock offered. The deal allowed new users to sign up for a year’s subscription to Peacock Premium (with ads) for just $0.99 per month. This offer began on Nov. 20 — the first day of the World Cup — and ran through Nov. 28.
Still, it’s clear that Peacock’s World Cup strategy has been a smashing success for the service. Peacock made the first 12 matches of the tournament available to everyone on the service’s free tier, while the remaining 52 games are exclusively available to Peacock Premium subscribers. However, Peacock does offer a seven-day free trial and combined with the Black Friday deal, the price was simply too attractive for World Cup fans to ignore.
The question now becomes what can Peacock do to keep the new users that it has attracted after the World Cup ends. The streamer has been diligently adding content of late, recently offering a day and date release of “Halloween Ends,” as well as bringing Jordan Peele’s newest hit thriller “Nope” to the service on Nov. 18.
Peacock reported adding 2M paid subscribers in the third quarter of 2022, raising to 15M overall. Thanks to the onslaught of downloads it has seen from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as well as a tasty Black Friday deal, it should see an even bigger boost in Q4.
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,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.