NBC is throwing even more support behind its sole soap opera, Days of our Lives. Hot on the heels of NBC executive Paul Telegdy assuring journalists that the network will "of course be carrying on" with the long-running series comes news that the soap will be available for viewing on NBC's streaming platform, Peacock.
The Twitter account for the platform started teasing the programming that fans can expect to see on the lineup when the streaming service makes its official debut on July 15 -- and DAYS made the cut.
"13,753 episodes, and there's still more drama to come for the residents of Salem," the Peacock Twitter handle writes. "See what unbelievable things happen next on #PeacockTV."
13,753 episodes, and there's still more drama to come for the residents of Salem. See what unbelievable things happen next on #PeacockTV. #DaysOfOurLives pic.twitter.com/jVhHJCfOIt
— Peacock (@peacockTV) January 17, 2020
Back in October, DAYS executive producer Ken Corday wasn't sure if the soap opera created by his parents, Ted and Berry Corday, would be included on the Peacock lineup. He surmised that "if they are smart, they will do Greatest Weddings or Best Comebacks because we have a huge back catalogue."
Whether or not Peacock will include classic episodes of DAYS remains to be seen, but Corday believes having the current episodes available for streaming will be a huge success.
"DAYS is the most watched show on the NBC website, and that includes all their primetime shows," the exec revealed, adding that in the fall of 2019, the show was "at the table renegotiating for a better deal because the production company gains no revenue from that."
NBC's Peacock will have ad-supported and ad-free options with three different pricing tiers. "Free" will provide 7,500 hours of programming that includes movies and classic shows, while "Peacock Premium" will come with 15,000 hours of programming including original Peacock series, early viewings of NBC's late-night shows, and sports like the Premier League.
The platform will include three different areas that subscribers can use when they open the app: channels, trending, and browse. While viewers decide which option they want to click on, video clips will play automatically. Peacock head Matt Strauss says that whether it's the news or part of a show, the idea is that "when you launch it, it immediately starts playing video, just like TV."
Peacock will launch on April 15 for Comcast's X1 and Flex customers and will debut nationally three months later on July 15.
UPDATE (July 16, 2020): Peacock, which debuted on July 15, has announced more details regarding its pricing tiers and which programs will be available on each level. The free tier will show new episodes of NBC current season series one week after they air, while the premium tier will provide earlier access to programming, including next-day access to episodes of Days of our Lives. For more information on Peacock's tiers and programming schedule, click here.
Meanwhile, fans have already expressed their displeasure over the fact that Peacock has made only the last 100 episodes of DAYS available on the streaming service. There is also a noticeable lack of NBC soap operas in the "Library TV Shows" section, which many fans hoped would include classic NBC soaps like Another World, Passions, Santa Barbara, and Sunset Beach.
What do you think about Peacock including DAYS on its lineup? How do you feel about NBC launching a streaming platform? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
