Fans of the hit police series ‘On Patrol: Live’ will soon have a new way to watch the show. NBCUniversal announced it is partnering with cable channel Reelz to add the network to its Peacock streaming platform starting March 1.
Users of both the Peacock Premium ($4.99 per month) and Premium Plus ($9.99 per month) tiers will have access to a live stream of the Reelz cable channel, as well as on-demand episodes of select content from the network which Peacock users will be able to watch at any time.
While this is a major programming advantage for Peacock, Reelz and viewers, there will be an interruption in the channel’s streaming availability. As of March 2021, the Peacock is the exclusive streaming home of WWE’s premium events, and part of that deal is that the promotion has an exclusivity deal with NBCU as the sole wrestling organization on the Peacock.
Therefore, there will be a weekly break in Reelz programming on the service for the next 10 weeks. In February, the channel became the home of Major League Wrestling, with new episodes of the promotion airing at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday nights. So, for the remaining 10 weeks of the MLW season, the Reelz live linear channel will not be available on the Peacock. However, all on-demand content from the channel will still be available. Then, after the 10-week window for the MLW season, the channel will be fully available on Tuesday nights.
A success for Reelz, “On Patrol: Live” has helped grow the network’s audience by 270% since acquiring the show. Fans will be able to watch new episodes live through the channel’s live stream starting at 9 p.m. to 12 midnight ET every Friday and Saturday night, and episodes will be available for on-demand streaming on Peacock the following day.
Peacock has built a dedicated fan base for documentaries and true crime series with recent hits including “Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies,” which launched as Peacock’s most-watched unscripted series. “Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert”? and thought-provoking documentary exploring Barney the dinosaur, “I Love You, You Hate Me.” This type of content pairs well with Reelz’ signature raw storytelling, including documenting the work of law enforcement and delving into the criminal justice system.
Launching March 1 on Peacock, the Reelz channel includes the network’s top series “On Patrol: Live,” “On Patrol: First Shift,” “Jail,” “Cops,” “Autopsy: The Last Hours of…” and more . “On Patrol: Live” recently received a 90-episode renewal from Reelz, so users will be able to watch it on Peacock until at least January 2024, provided the partnership remains in place.