Peacock's streaming service is looking to beat out Netflix, HBO Max, and other top streaming services In a huge deal announced this morning, Peacock will add professional wrestling's largest streaming service, the WWE Network, to include live pay-per-view events such as April's Lesslmania 37

Starting in March, Peacock will be the exclusive US distributor of the WWE Network and will become the exclusive US distributor of the WWE Network That means wrestling fans like me will have to switch contracts to see how the diabolical Roman Reigns hangs on to the WWE title and whether his cousin The Rock will come back to try to stop him (details on how will be forthcoming)

In other words, much of Peacock's publicity stems from the fact that it took "The Office" back from Netflix, but the service has not decided to headline "Dunder Mifflin" And this is a big reminder of how prominent Peacock was in the first place

This all makes sense when one considers that Peacock was slated to launch at the same time as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Not to say that wrestling is of that magnitude, but Peacock had a plan to stand out in an already crowded streaming pool That plan, like the other 2020 goals, was trashed by the coronavirus pandemic

But Peacock still has to grow its subscriber base and is battling behemoths like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney Plus; fortunately for NBCUniversal, none of them are running live events

So if Peacock can manage to put together a wide and diverse array of sports and live events, it may help the service survive There is a big buzz in the industry right now about "churn"

When the time comes for people to consider which services to keep and what to cut, Peacock could survive by being known as a streaming service that offers both original content and live sports

Fubo TV is trying to carve out a niche for itself as a sports streaming service, but the $65/month price tag may be a bit steep for some, even if there are plenty of sports channels; there is also ESPN Plus, CBS All Access (soon to become Paramount Plus) also offers live sports and news

Peacock has three tiers, which determine what you can watch and how many ads you can include There is a free version with some content (with ads), Peacock Premium for $499/month with all content (with ads), and Peacock Premium with almost no ads for $999/month

Access to WWE Network content, like Peacock's Premier League soccer game, is limited to the $499 Peacock Premium version In doing so, they would not only be selling content to viewers, but also advertising

And I imagine many WWE Network subscribers would switch to the $499/month tier to spend half of the $999/month network; I don't know how WWE would fill the ad space for those in the top tier, but it's not content that people would be upset to miss out on I doubt it will be content that people will miss out on and resent

Since it is unclear whether the Tokyo Games will be held this year, Peacock will need to find every way to draw in a wide range of sports fans The Olympics have a wider range of competition than at any other time of the year, and it would have made a lot of sense for NBCUniversal to control everything with the same service

If Peacock can incorporate more types of sports and live sports-related content, it has a better chance of long-term success With parent company NBCUniversal still a long way from hosting the Super Bowl (on NBC in 2022), expect to see more of this type of additional content

So, streamers, even if you are escaping the peacock now, know that it may eventually come for you Wrestling fans who only thought of this service as the home of "The Office" are now wondering if their streaming devices are compatible (Amazon Fire TV devices are not yet compatible, by the way)

I thought Peacock could be forgotten Turns out Peacock has other plans