• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, December 12, 2022

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em together.

That seems to be DirecTV’s new, aggregation-driven strategy in the face of continuing heavy cord-cutting losses.

On Dec. 1, the company announced a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to offer Discovery+ with ads through DirecTV’s satellite and broadband-delivered Stream platforms at a 40% ($2) discount off the standard monthly subscription price of $4.99 per month.

Now, DirecTV is also offering the limited-ads version of NBCUniversal’s Peacock, Peacock Premium, on the same terms: 40% off the $4.99 monthly price.

The Peacock service became available through DirecTV Stream as of Dec. 8, and will be made available to “select” satellite service customers “in coming weeks,” according to the company.

In addition, the no-ads Peacock Premium Plus tier will be available through both DirecTV platforms for the standard price of $9.99 per month.

“As more DirecTV customers gain interest in, and we add top streaming services from programming partners, including NBCUniversal, we always strive to offer the content our customers want most, using whatever device wherever they are – but also at a strong value they can really appreciate,” stated Rob Thun, DirecTV's chief content officer. “Giving our customers Peacock at an attractive price helps us to accomplish that goal.”

DirecTV, which was spun off by AT&T through a deal with private equity firm TPG last year, lost 1.9 million subscribers in 2021 and 400,000 in the most recent quarter, Q3 2022, estimates Leichtman Research Group.

NBCU CEO Jeff Shell reported last week that Peacock doubled its total paid subscribers during 2022, to reach 18 million.

“As Peacock continues to grow, we hope to help extend our pay-tv partners’ businesses by providing additional value to their customers,” stated Matt Bond, chairman of content distribution for NBCUniversal. “This is a great opportunity to bring an additive experience to DirecTV subscribers through Peacock’s line-up of exclusive original and sports programming, straight-from-theaters movies and library content.”