During July, Peacock was the brand that achieved the greatest increase in ad awareness in the US.

Peacock, NBCUniversal’s new streaming platform, is showing off its feathers – and Americans are noticing. YouGov data shows Ad Awareness for the Peacock brand shot up 50% during the month of July, as the service officially launched in the United States.

At the beginning of July, 11% of Americans had seen an ad for the service; that figure rose to 19% at the end of the month. YouGov Ad Awareness is based on the question “Which of the following brands have you seen an advertisement for in the last two weeks?”


Peacock’s marketing blitz has focused on its base price: zero dollars. NBCUniversal offers a free, ad-supported tier to its streaming service, which it hopes will be attractive to American consumers faced with several new streaming choices over the last year.

While a free choice may help the service bring on customers at a time when millions of Americans are forced to reduce spending during the COVID-19-fuelled recession, NBCUniversal’s decision came before the pandemic hit. January data from YouGov showed more than a third (36%) of Americans would consider paying a lower monthly fee for streaming in exchange for seeing ads; nearly half (49%) wouldn’t.

Peacock – the latest service in a long line of debuts this year, including HBO Max, Disney+ and Quibi –offers up its back catalogue of NBC TV shows, movies, news and late-night segments. The paid tiers (either $5 or $10 per month) unlock live programming, including sports.