Why Peacock is making a bet on YouTube

In an interview with The Verge’s Decoder podcast, NBCUniversal Media Group chairman Matt Strauss discussed how the company is organizing its television and streaming businesses, including Peacock. The interview, by Nilay Patel, was lightly edited for length and clarity.

Strauss said NBCUniversal combined programming, marketing, product and technology, research, and advertising teams across broadcast and streaming. He described the approach as putting “content first and platform second,” with the aim of reaching and engaging more viewers and growing revenue. He said the structure had been in place for about 18 months.

Strauss pointed to NBC’s broadcast reach as a way to help Peacock find viewers, while saying Peacock also brings audiences back to NBC and Bravo. He said the company’s live sports, including the Super Bowl, Milan Cortina Olympics, NBA All-Star Game, and World Cup, helped draw audiences across its services. According to Strauss, NBC reached more than 225 million viewers in 17 days during what the company called “Legendary February.”

The supplied interview excerpt does not explain the YouTube bet referenced in the headline. It ends as Strauss begins discussing NBC’s fall programming, so it does not establish the details or rationale behind that bet.