NBC’s Peacock launching in July with ‘handful’ of originals

NEW YORK (AP) – NBC Universal says its video-streaming service Peacock will launch nationally in July, as planned, even though just a handful of its original series will be ready.

The service was meant to have a mix of originals, classic shows and movies, and current NBC programming.

Peacock is rolling out to Comcast customers start- ing Wednesday as a sort of test before the national launch.

NBC is pitching Peacock as a free, ad-supported streaming option amid a slew of new online video services that compete with market giant Netflix, including Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, and the upcoming HBO Max.