NBCUniversal Media Chairman Matt Strauss, who oversees Peacock, said at a recent conference that Peacock is expected to become profitable in the current quarter. If achieved, it would make Peacock the last of the major streamers to reach profitability.
The comments from Strauss came during the Evercore Global TMT Conference and were first reported by Deadline.
It’s “a beginning to a validation of the strategy that we’ve had from the beginning,” Strauss said during the conference. “Because we’ve been very consistent and disciplined on the execution of our strategy. … There’s not one way to approach a streaming strategy or market. You know, sometimes you have to play to your strengths, which is what we’ve been doing.”
Peacock has focused on a sports-focused strategy in recent years. The streamer features exclusive live sports programming from the English Premier League, NBA, MLB, Big Ten Conference, and Olympics, among others. Peacock also airs an exclusive NFL game annually and simulcasts Sunday Night Football.
“Sports also is the opposite of binge viewing,” Strauss added. “It’s about timeliness, it’s about community…and so building out a really big sports portfolio was very important to us back then and still is.”
Less sports-focused streamers, including Disney+, Paramount+, and HBO Max, have all turned profitable in recent quarters. Netflix, which has acquired some sports as part of its event strategy, has been profitable for the past few years.
In the first quarter of 2026, Peacock reported a $432 million loss, down slightly from a $552 million loss in the final quarter of 2025.
NBC also recently launched a cable sports network, NBCSN, intended to simulcast Peacock sports events. Strauss said the launch “might seem a bit counterintuitive…The fact that we have the ability to kind of allow multiple ways for a consumer to access the sports content – broadcast and streaming is a real strength that we bring to the table.”
But the launch seemingly represents a serious commitment by NBC Sports to sports on Peacock, as NBCSN is designed to work in tandem with Peacock’s sports acquisitions. The original incarnation of NBCSN shut down in part because it lacked major sports other than the Premier League and the NFL.
If Peacock’s sports strategy can lead to profitability, it could have major implications for competing streamers’ strategies. As the great rebundling looks to continue, a bundle of two streamers with strong sports rights (think Peacock and ESPN Unlimited) could be a great deal for sports fans. In the currently fragmented streaming sports market, such deals are unfortunately few and far between.
About Manny Soloway
Manny Soloway is a Iowa based writer focusing on TV ratings. He is also the founder of the TV Media Blog substack.