Peacock’s Vertical Video Strategy Boosting Overall Viewership

Peacock isn’t your average streaming platform—it’s always got new tricks up its sleeve to keep viewers entertained. And one of its latest experiments that’s been making waves? Vertical videos. If you’ve tuned into Peacock on your phone lately, you might have come across a series of short clips that feel a lot like the stuff you’d see on Instagram Reels. What’s even cooler is that their vertical video strategy has been a hit, especially with sports fans. The Can’t Miss Highlights feature, which showcases memorable NBA moments, has grabbed the attention of 15% of Peacock’s NBA viewers on mobile. That’s pretty impressive for a new feature.

The mastermind behind this whole operation, John Jelley, the senior vice president of Product and User Experience for Global Streaming at NBCUniversal Media Group, spilled the beans to TheWrap. According to him, when people log into the app, they’re usually looking to catch up on what’s been going down lately. And Peacock is there to deliver all the league highlights, not just the games that are streaming. It’s like your go-to spot for everything happening around the league, and fans are loving it.

Thanks to NBCUniversal’s NBA rights for TV and streaming, Peacock’s Can’t Miss Highlights can show off these moments almost in real-time. The immediate gratification and the convenience of this feature have really paid off, boosting the overall viewership on Peacock. Jelley mentioned how viewers are coming in, watching a bunch of clips, and then diving into the live action. The success of this feature has opened up possibilities for expanding it to cover more sports, including the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

But sports aren’t the only ones getting some vertical video love. Peacock has been testing out how these types of videos perform for their scripted shows and reality content. They’ve tried out exclusive clips, short-form catch-up episodes, highlights, and trailers. One of their coolest experiments involved “The Paper,” a lead-up to Greg Daniels and Michael Koman’s “Office” spinoff. And it looks like these videos are hitting the mark, boosting watch time and inspiring viewers to check out more of Peacock’s original content.

To keep things fresh, Peacock has divided its vertical videos into three categories. The first is all about letting viewers know what’s hot on Peacock and NBC at that moment. The second dives deeper into your favorite shows and movies, offering exclusive content and interviews. This weekend, they’re going all out with some BravoCon action, releasing insider footage from the reality TV extravaganza. The third category? That’s where Peacock is pushing the limits with video formats to see what sticks. Their short-form series “The Rundown” is a prime example, designed to keep viewers up-to-date and engaged while they’re out and about.

And there’s more where that comes from. Peacock is eyeing to bring in some interactive features for users too. Performance View for NBA fans has already received rave reviews, and features like Peacock ScoreCard and Courtside Live are also in the works. Imagine having the power to pick your preferred camera angle during a game to focus on a specific player? That’s the kind of customized viewing experience Peacock’s working on to keep its viewers engaged in real-time. With even more interactive features on the horizon, Peacock’s looking to be more than just a streaming app—it’s shaping up to be a one-stop hub for all things entertainment. Stay tuned!