‘Yellowstone’ is An Important Asset for Peacock, But How Important?
Data from Parrot Analytics shows that ‘Yellowstone’ drove more subscriber acquisition for Peacock this year than any other TV show..
“Yellowstone” continues to be one of the most popular shows on television, despite the fact that it’s been nearly two years since new episodes of the series aired on Paramount Network. The Western drama centering on the Dutton family and their Yellowstone ranch in Montana is about to return with the second half of its fifth season, but they won’t be available to stream right away, as it will be a few months before you can stream them on-demand on Peacock. A new survey from Parrot Analytics shows just how important the blockbuster show is to Peacock, and highlights where customers who sign up to the service to watch it are coming from.
Key Details:
- Parrot found that “Yellowstone” accounted for 3.71% of all customer acquisitions between January and August.
- Only “Oppenheimer” brought in more viewers to the streamer at that time.
- Around 8% of new acquisitions to Peacock came from Paramount+, showing the affinity for Taylor Sheridan shows among audiences.
“Yellowstone” has been available on Peacock since a 2020 licensing deal sent its streaming rights to NBCUniversal. While Paramount has said that it now regrets selling the rights to Peacock (in the days before Paramount+), Parrot’s data shows that customers are still flocking to Peacock specifically to watch “Yellowstone.” The show accounted for 3.71% of all subscriber acquisitions for Peacock between January and August 2024, the most of any television series.
Only the blockbuster Universal movie “Oppenheimer” brought more customers to Peacock in the same time frame, accounting for 4.96% of all subscriptions.
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Very rarely are these new Peacock customers new to the streaming ecosystem. In terms of what streamers are new Peacock subscribers are already signed up for, Netflix and Max both contribute 18% of the new customers who came to Peacock to watch “Yellowstone,” and Hulu comes in third at 15%. Parrot’s analysis indicates that titles on these streamers have a high affinity with “Yellowstone,” which is why so many viewers are coming to Peacock from them to watch it.
Paramount+ is also sending a large portion of viewers to Peacock, accounting for 8% of the total who moved to NBCUl’s streamer to watch “Yellowstone.” That’s an impressive figure considering Paramount+’s lower overall subscriber total, and it shows that fans of “Yellowstone” co-creator Taylor Sheridan’s shows on Paramount+ like “1883” and “1923” are hungry for more from Sheridan once they finish those series.
Since Paramount+ is the streaming home of most of Sheridan’s work, fans are likely hoping that they’ll be able to see “Yellowstone” alongside the rest of his titles on the streamer someday soon. Unfortunately, Matthew Belloni of Puck News reported last year that Peacock may hold the streaming rights to “Yellowstone” for up to four years after the final episode of the show airs on linear TV. Considering the recent news that “Yellowstone” will continue after Season 5, it will likely be a very long time before the show makes it to Paramount+.
That’s just as well for Peacock, as Parrot’s data shows. “Yellowstone” is a huge driver of subscriber acquisition for the streamer, beating out even NBCU classics like “The Office,” and will remain so for multiple years to come.
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.