Peacock Phasing In Mobile Updates, With Vertical ‘Voice’ Clips, More Home Screen Sports, Browsing Tweaks & More

NBCUniversal‘s Peacock is ushering in a number of updates to its mobile app, overhauling the browsing experience, putting more sports on the home screen and expanding its vertical video offerings.

The updates encompass a wide range of features, from overhauled browsing to a “jump back in” button to an influx of vertical video spanning clips and microdramas. The strategic goal of the updates is to connect with subscribers at key moments throughout the day and increase viewing time, recognizing the role that mobile devices now play in the streaming ecosystem. Just as traditional mobile players like YouTube have been leaning into the living room, legacy media players like NBCU are putting increasing emphasis on their mobile offerings after beginning on their most familiar device, the TV screen.

Last month, NBCU parent Comcast said Peacock delivered its second straight quarter of profitability during the third quarter, though its subscriber level stayed flat at 48 million.

During a press briefing in New York on Tuesday, Matt Strauss, Chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, said he wasn’t at all discouraged by Peacock’s scale. He pointed to the long-term strategy of the service, which launched in 2020 at a very different moment for the media business, when ad-free binge releases seemed like the inevitable future. Peacock at launch was mostly free and ad-supported, and today still has 80% of its subscribers on its ad-supported tier.

“We arguably didn’t build Peacock to win a streaming war. We built Peacock for growth in the aftermath of a streaming war,” Strauss said. “And that’s where I think we are right now, which is the next phase of growth is going to be around who can win another hour per user per month. And to go and evaluate through that lens, you have to think differently about the user experience. And the phone and mobile has to be a first-class citizen.”

Testing is already under way on many of the features, which will go live and be updated continuously through early 2027. Peacock is enhancing its search capabilities with conversational AI, looking to enhance personalization. The updates build on existing features like Your Bravoverse, Clips Feed, and Peacock Performance View.

John Jelley, SVP of Product and UX for the NBCUniversal Media Group, emphasized the company’s efforts to tailor its AI approach to the streaming realm. “We combine that in what we call a large action model,” he said during the press briefing. “Rather than predicting the next word as LLMs do, we’re actually predicting the next action.”

Vertical video has been on Peacock for nearly two years now, with the service pioneering the format for live sports. NBCU’s long-term rights deal with the NBA, which began in 2025, offered an opportunity to showcase the technology, which will now be expanding to shows like NBC mainstay The Voice. Other sports like college basketball and golf will also get the vertical treatment.

Microdramas, which have grown into a multi-billion-dollar category and are seen as a potent on-ramp for streaming viewers, will be an increasing presence on Peacock. One new micro title is landing on the service each week. These series are generally licensed from third parties but in some cases are commissioned in-house, as in the case of Bravo scripted microdramas like the recently premiered Charmed by a Southern Monster. Spanish-language NBCU subsidiary Telemundo has already been pushing into the microdrama space.

“NBCUniversal has an unmatched ability to turn the shows, sports and stories fans love into experiences that extend well beyond the screen,” said Jim Denney, Chief Product Officer, Global Streaming & NBCUniversal Media Group. “Our ambition is for Peacock to be more than a place to watch. With this new mobile experience, we’re evolving Peacock into an entertainment platform that gives fans more ways to discover, participate and strengthen their connection to their favorite stories, teams and franchises, turning viewing into deeper engagement and lasting fandom and loyalty.”

Peacock is exploring new setups on its home screen to help viewers quickly “jump back in” to programming they enjoy. Hubs devoted to key franchises will lead not only to episodic fare but also games, microdramas, podcasts, clips and other related material.