NBCUniversal Entering The Streaming Wars with 2020 Launch of Bonnie Hammer-Run Service; Mark Lazarus, Jeff Shell Also Get Major Promotions
by Dade Hayes
January 14, 2019


NBCUniversal will enter the streaming wars with a service launching in early 2020 that will be run by longtime cable chief Bonnie Hammer.

Along with the streaming news, the company set a top-level executive reorganization that gives Mark Lazarus and Jeff Shell significant promotions.




Lazarus will have the title of Chairman, NBCUniversal Broadcast, Cable, Sports and News, adding oversight of the cable entertainment portfolio as well as NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC.

Shell will be Chairman, NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment, putting NBCEntertainment, International and Telemundo on his plate after previously focusing more on film operations.

In coordination with the Shell move, Donna Langley has been promoted to become sole Chairman, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, taking on Global Theatrical Distribution and Home Entertainment.







The ad-supported streaming service will be available at no cost to NBCUniversal’s pay-TV subscribers in the U.S. and major international markets. Comcast Cable and Sky will provide the service to their collective 52 million subscribers in the U.S. and Europe. An ad-free version will also be available for a fee. Viewers without pay TV service can buy a subscription to the service.

NBCU will continue to license content to other studios and platforms, while retaining rights to certain titles for its new service.




While the company plans to continue to retain its 30% stake in Hulu, its strategy has come under some scrutiny in recent months as Disney and WarnerMedia have charged ahead with efforts to hold off Netflix and other streaming giants.

When its acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets closes in the coming weeks, Disney will control 60% of Hulu, which just said last week it now reaches 25 million subscribers.







“NBCUniversal has some of the world’s most valuable intellectual property and top talent, both in front of and behind the camera. Many of the most-watched shows on today’s popular streaming platforms come from NBCUniversal. Our new service will be different than those presently in the market and it will be built on the company’s strengths, with NBCUniversal’s great content and the technology expertise, broad scale and the wide distribution of Comcast Cable and Sky,” said Steve Burke, CEO, NBCUniversal, in the official announcement.

He added, “People are watching premium content more than ever, but they want more flexibility and value. NBCUniversal is perfectly positioned to offer a variety of choices, due to our deep relationships with advertisers and distribution partners, as well as our data-targeting capabilities. Advertising continues to be a major part of the entertainment ecosystem and we believe that a streaming service, with limited and personalized ads, will provide a great consumer experience.”

Hammer, Lazarus and Shell will continue to report directly to Burke. Langley continues to report to Shell.

https://deadline.com/2019/01/nbcuniversal-entering-the-streaming-wars-with-2020-launch-of-bonnie-hammer-run-service-mark-lazarus-jeff-schell-get-major-promotions-1202534914/

As we fall deeper into the hole of relying solely on the internet. I can’t wait til the day when WiFi stops working...it’ll be funny.

I think ABC and NBC will dissolve Hulu, with both of the two starting their own streaming services, which is too bad IMO.

Comcast/Xfinity currently very loosely markets a service called Streampix. That will be likely phased out also for this service. I tried it for four days but cancelled not to be charged anymore for it. But it was apparently a commercial free Video on Demand with some of the titles in Hulu and Netflix, available only to Xfinity customers though. Nothing special was in Streampix though.

How many streaming services do they need.There is cable, the internet,streaming and whatever else.Yet back in the days when there were only just the 3 big networks and a few locals etc. television and everything about it was a thousand times better and it was free.

I hope that this NBCUniversal Streaming Station will have Gimme a Break! and Amen.

I think ABC and NBC will dissolve Hulu, with both of the two starting their own streaming services, which is too bad IMO.

Why would Hulu shut down? And (to all others) how realistic is that possibility?

If this happens, where would all of Hulu's original series go?

I hope that Hulu ends up not shutting down.

Why would Hulu shut down? And (to all others) how realistic is that possibility?

If this happens, where would all of Hulu's original series go?

I hope that it doesn't, but Hulu's ownership will be 60% Disney, 30% NBC and 10% AT&T, and it has high annual losses for it's parent companies.

From Comcast's view: It is has limited control of it, it loses money for the company every year, and it competes against core business.

At a certain point, Comcast/NBC's involvement in Hulu might conflict with services that it will have has full ownership/control in. I use Hulu to watch a lot of current season NBC shows. I wouldn't need a NBC All Access, but Comcast/NBC might want to shift it's in season NBC programming over there out of Hulu. But that's just my two cents. I was hoping actually Comcast would negotiate a deal with Disney with Comcast buying up Disney's stake in Hulu, but this news of NBC starting it's own service doesn't seem be in that direction.

From this article,
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/14/nbc-to-launch-free-streaming-service-in-2020.html

It appears it wants to charge $12 for an ad-supported service for those that don't have cable. In contrast, Hulu Plus is $11.99 and commercial free. So far, this new NBC streaming doesn't seem that appealing yet.

I am an American living outside the USA, and if and when I move back home I will not have cable or TV in the classic sense. Way too many commercials, way too many garbage networks. just a lot of BS. I would rely solely on the internet for content.

I use this site to watch new TV shows and old classic stations.
https://www1.swatchseries.to/

Just today (in China) watched the newest episode of Star Trek Discovery which is a show on CBS Streaming Service which costs like $10 a month. I watch this show free from the site above with no commercials. None of the shows do. I watched an old original Star Trek episode from this site.

I would also watch most things from YouTube itself. While the disease of commercials are in YouTube, they are still very minimal. There are many old shows from YouTube plus a billion other types of shows and videos. There are also websites showing old shows from the 1950's/1960's. Discovered "What's My Line" from one of these sites.

I just came back from being back in America for a month in my parent's house. I wanted to shoot the television. TV is awful now. There are very few good shows on now. Of the shows on currently, I watch Discovery, Young Sheldon, Mom and My 600 Pound Life. I also like Bar Rescue and AAF football (and NFL/NCAA football in season). Thats about it. In America it was so annoying to wade through literally ten commercials selling crap to get to another five minutes of my show. I am the person who started the post sarcastically "How about a channel that shows nothing but commercials", because this is what we have now.

Hulu Plus is $11.99......

A bit off the subject but the last time I was home to America, I got very annoyed at prices that end in .99. 2.99, 11.99, 34.99, 129.99. Everytime they do this "99" crap, they are calling their customers stupid. I absolutely hate this practice. I have noticed that really companies who sell products and services to the public mock us and bleed us dry. This is why I love the internet so some of these companies get to go down the rabbit hole to oblivion.

I know it's only Wikipedia but it states NBCUNIVERSAL also launching an OTA multicast channel with its streaming service? This is just an error in presume?