As Peacock continues to trail major entertainment industry players like Netflix, TikTok and YouTube, the streaming service is taking on the same tactics as its rivals with two new initiatives: Mini-games and a short vertical video feed. The company previewed these tests at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday.
Starting this month, Peacock will begin piloting new features on its iOS and Android apps before a broader rollout later this spring. During the initial testing phase, a company spokesperson told TechCrunch that some users will see both games and vertical video playlists, while some will see one or the other and some won't.
The platform is likely trying to keep up with other major streaming services as it faces challenges in growing subscribers. Peacock lags significantly behind, with just 36 million subscribers compared to Netflix's impressive 282.72 million. Since launching its gaming division in 2021, Netflix has launched more than 120 games. YouTube And Sling TV Also roll out free gaming offers to compete.
Peacock is currently testing five games: Daily Sort, Daily Swap, Prediction, What The and Ven. These fast-paced games aim to increase fan engagement with the most popular titles, as they offer gameplay influenced by TV shows and sports programming. Linking games to popular IPs is a smart move, as it attracts players interested in those titles
For example, with Venn, players pick items in the appropriate circles based on a daily theme that corresponds to episodes of the show, such as “Below Deck”. The prediction game allows users to predict the outcome of certain shows and sporting events, enabling them to come back later and see how accurate their guesses were.
Meanwhile, the streaming platform is also testing new curated vertical video playlists, which will feature short clips from Peacock's entire library, such as TV shows, movies, sports and news. These will be updated daily and weekly, with many clips debuting exclusively on the app Users can tap clips to be directed to the corresponding show's page, making it easy to jump in and watch.
as possible on TikTok With looms and users struggling with short attention spans, Peacock's vertical video playlists can quickly become a popular feature for viewers looking for entertainment. The final exam takes place later the pipeThe Fox-owned free ad-supported streaming service has also embraced short-form video with a new feature called “Scenes.”