Peacock Licenses ViacomCBS Titles Like Paramount’s ‘Godfather’ Trilogy, TV Shows ‘Ray Donovan’, ‘Charmed’

John Cazale and Al Pacino in "The Godfather Part II." Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

NBCUniversal’s Peacock, nearing its nationwide launch on July 15, has reached a licensing deal with ViacomCBS covering movies from Paramount and TV shows from across the company.

Under the deal, films from Paramount will stream on Peacock in limited exclusivity windows throughout 2021, 2022, and 2023. The roster includes The Godfather trilogy, Catch Me If You Can, The Talented Mr. Ripley, American Beauty, Patriot Games, Last Holiday, Fatal Attraction, The Firm and An Officer and a Gentleman.

TV series headed to Peacock on July 15 include Ray Donovan, The Affair, Undercover Boss, The Game, Everybody Hates Chris and Real Husbands of Hollywood. Charmed will be added in October.

Shows and films will still be available on ViacomCBS platforms and, apart from the months-long exclusives for Paramount films, all will be eligible for the forthcoming expansion of CBS All Access. ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish recently said the streaming service will be broadened out this summer in a preview version ahead of a full reboot in 2021.

“We are truly excited to bring some of the most popular movies and series from across the ViacomCBS family of brands to Peacock,” said Frances Manfredi, President, Content Acquisition and Strategy, Peacock. “We continue to expand the Peacock catalog with premium programming from NBCUniversal and beyond; partnering with companies like ViacomCBS to ensure that all of our viewers can choose from the best entertainment options available in the market today.”

Peacock launched in April across the Comcast footprint, free for Xfinity broadband and pay-TV customers. In two weeks, it will go much broader. Its free, ad-supported tier will include 7,500 hours of film and TV content. A premium, ad-supported tier will be $5 a month (free for Comcast customers), with anyone able to pay an additional $5 a month for an ad-free version. The premium level will have 15,000 hours of programming.

ViacomCBS has been scrutinized by Wall Street analysts and the press for doing major license deals, like an HBO Max pact for South Park or Netflix agreements with Nickelodeon and Paramount. But Bakish has always stressed that deals are put through multiple strategic and financial filters and only struck if they make sense.

“This agreement with Peacock demonstrates the incredible and enduring value of ViacomCBS content,” said Dan Cohen, President, ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group. “The partnership we are announcing today is consistent with our strategy to maximize the value of our content by selectively licensing our library product to third parties while prioritizing franchise IP for our own platforms.”