Peacock redesigns mobile app around vertical video and AI search

What the Peacock mobile app redesign changes

NBCUniversal is rebuilding the Peacock mobile app around vertical video, according to Engadget. The redesign leans on the short-form format popularised by TikTok and YouTube Shorts, and the company frames it as a way to keep viewers inside the app for longer.

Company chairman Matt Strauss described the goal as winning another hour per user, per month, The Hollywood Reporter reported. He also said the company needs to think of itself less as a streaming service and more as an entertainment platform, and asked how it can best serve its franchises and fandoms where the app is the strongest experience.

The new version is rolling out now in phases. Engadget notes that the staged release could take until next year before every user has it.

A player that flips with the device

Alongside the vertical feed, Peacock plans a dynamic video player that switches automatically between vertical and horizontal orientation depending on the device. The company also intends to keep experimenting with live vertical video, extending the short-form approach beyond on-demand clips.

The app is also adding generative AI for what the company calls conversational AI search, a way to look for content using natural language rather than browsing rows of titles. Engadget does not detail how that search will work or when it will appear.

Microdramas get more investment

NBCUniversal says it will keep putting money into microdramas, very short serialised dramas whose episodes often run about a minute and link together into a larger story. The company recently released Charmed by a Southern Monster, its first scripted microdrama, which is tied to the Southern Charm franchise.

The format fits the vertical-first direction: short episodes are suited to phone viewing and to the kind of repeated visits the redesign is meant to encourage. Peacock is also building personalised experiences around its Bravo programming, including one called Your Bravoverse that helps fans explore two decades of moments from the Bravo TV network.

Why the push matters

The redesign arrives as Peacock tries to hold on to momentum. Engadget reports that the service recently became profitable for the first time and has now posted two consecutive profitable quarters.

Whether a more TikTok-like app extends that run is an open question. The strategy depends on turning casual viewers into frequent ones, and on keeping them engaged with clips, live vertical video and AI-assisted discovery rather than only with full-length shows and films. For now, the changes are confirmed by the company but their effect on viewing time is not.