Peacock unveils AI features with Andy Cohen avatar, vertical NBA streams, and mobile games

Peacock expands into AI-driven video, mobile-first live sports, and gaming | TechCrunch

Peacock is making a clear bet on two things: AI and mobile-first entertainment. Based on what the streamer previewed at a press event yesterday, Peacock's mobile app is about to look a whole lot more like a mix of TikTok, a casual gaming hub, and a streaming service. From an AI-powered "Bravoverse" vertical video experience narrated by a digital avatar of TV host Andy Cohen to vertical live NBA broadcasts and mobile games, Peacock is rolling out several new features designed to keep viewers entertained on their phones even longer. The biggest reveal was a new feature called "Your Bravoverse," aimed at viewers deeply immersed in Bravo fandom, home to addictive reality franchises like "The Real Housewives" and "Vanderpump Rules." The feature pulls short-form clips from more than 5,000 hours of Bravo footage and stitches them into personalized playlists. The best part (arguably) is that your guide will be a generative AI avatar of Andy Cohen, the famous reunion host for "The Real Housewives" franchise. Users will start the experience by selecting their favorite Bravo shows and iconic moments. From there, the AI builds a personalized stream of clips. Then Cohen's avatar acts as the narrator, introducing moments, connecting storylines, and even surfacing new shows viewers might not have watched yet. Behind the scenes, Peacock says the system uses computer vision to identify key storylines and moments across its library. AI agents trained on Bravo fan behavior help determine what viewers care about most, while the platform stitches clips together across seasons and franchises. The result, according to Peacock, is more than 600 billion possible viewing variations. If Peacock wanted a passionate fanbase to test AI storytelling on, Bravo viewers may be the perfect audience. Fans of the franchise are famously devoted, and reality TV creates the perfect bite-sized clips to start with. According to the company, the average Bravo viewer watches about 24 hours of Bravo content per month, while some of the most dedicated fans watch up to 75 episodes monthly. "Your Bravoverse" launches on mobile this summer, with living room devices expected later. Additionally, Peacock is experimenting with new ways to watch live sports on mobile. The company announced that fans will soon be able to stream live games in a vertical format, powered by AI-driven real-time cropping optimized for phone screens. The feature will debut in beta during NBA games this spring. Users will find the vertical broadcasts inside Courtside Live, a mobile viewing feature Peacock first introduced during the 2026 NBA All-Star Game. Courtside Live allows viewers to switch between multiple camera angles alongside the main broadcast, creating a more immersive way to follow the action. This builds upon its short-form video feature launched last year. The feed surfaces clips from across Peacock's catalog, including TV shows, movies, sports, and news. This summer, the company plans to expand the feature by giving vertical video its own dedicated section in the app, a move clearly inspired by TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, as streaming platforms increasingly compete with social media for viewers' attention. Peacock isn't alone in exploring short-form video. Disney+ launched its own mobile short-form feed for U.S. users on Thursday, which features scenes and moments from its shows and films. Netflix has also said it plans to expand its short-form video features to promote new original video podcasts. This also isn't Peacock's first experiment with AI. During the 2024 Summer Olympics, the platform introduced a generative AI recap that created personalized 10-minute summaries of the previous day's events, narrated by an AI voice modeled after sports announcer Al Michaels. The company is also expanding its mobile gaming lineup after introducing mini-games in the app last year. The streamer is launching two new mystery games, Law & Order: Clue Hunter and Public Eye, which both come from AI gaming startup Wolf Games, co-founded by Elliot Wolf, the son of "Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf. NBCUniversal announced a partnership with Wolf Games in October to build immersive games, which involve gathering clues and using an AI assistant to help solve crimes. Plus, Peacock is adding a daily trivia experience based on the iconic game show Jeopardy!. The title joins existing games on the app, such as Wheel of Fortune and Daily Swap. All these updates hint at a bigger strategy for Peacock. Instead of competing purely as a traditional streaming service, the platform is trying to reshape its app into something much more interactive. The shift comes as the service looks for new ways to drive engagement and growth. While Peacock recently added subscribers, the platform is still operating at a loss. Peacock has grown to 44 million subscribers, up from a plateau of 41 million subscribers that lasted for three consecutive quarters last year. However, the streamer reported a $552 million loss in Q4 2025.

Peacock Hopes an Andy Cohen Avatar Will Keep You Hooked on Reality TV

Alex Valdes from Bellevue, Washington has been pumping content into the Internet river for quite a while, including stints at MSNBC.com, MSN, Bing, MoneyTalksNews, Tipico and more. He admits to being somewhat fascinated by the Cambridge coffee webcam back in the Roaring '90s. Peacock is adding an AI feather to its flock. The NBCUniversal property said Friday it will launch several new features to its mobile app, most notably a TikTok-like vertical video experience narrated by an AI version of TV personality Andy Cohen. The feature, called "Your Bravoverse," will enable app users to swipe endlessly -- if they want -- through a playlist of clips from their favorite Bravo shows, all narrated by the Cohen AI. The app will also stream live NBA games in a 9:16 vertical format and introduce two new mobile games. Peacock said there will be a section for vertical video on the mobile app starting this summer, replacing the current download button in the main bottom navigation. The new Peacock features capitalize on the AI frenzy and join the bandwagon of mobile users who have become accustomed to the vertical, swipeable nature of consuming content, such as on TikTok and Instagram. Launching this summer, Your Bravoverse will play videos in vertical format on your phone. The content library will be comprised of Bravo shows past and present, including Vanderpump Rules and the Real Housewives franchise. AI will create playlists of clips from more than 5,000 hours of footage across the entire Bravo catalog of shows and extract stories from those shows using computer vision. The company says the goal is to "weave together complex storylines across seasons and franchises that help fans relive memorable moments or uncover new connections they may have never seen before." Computer vision, in concert with generative AI, is tech that can analyze thousands of hours of Peacock shows, pick out key moments and create video feeds. Matt Strauss, Chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, called the feature a "first-of-its-kind experience" for the company -- "pairing our deep Bravo library with agentic and gen AI to create a personalized experience." The narrator for each playlist will be an AI avatar of Andy Cohen, host of the talk show Watch What Happens Live and creator of the Real Housewives franchise. The avatar will be trained to have Cohen's "distinctive style and voice." Cohen said the Bravoverse experience will be "intuitive" and "interactive." "If there's one thing Bravo fans love, it's being part of the conversation," Cohen said in a statement. "It's the best of AI and the best of Bravo, helping fans discover shows, dive deeper into their favorite moments, and connect with the Bravo universe like never before -- all guided by me. Well, not exactly me, but a version of me!" To create playlists, Your Bravoverse consumers will first choose their top shows and moments, then receive their own personal playlist. NBCUniversal says each playlist can have more than 600 billion possible variations. Just as on TikTok and Instagram, Bravoverse viewers will be able to swipe through videos endlessly. NBCUniversal says the playlists will be constantly refreshed. NBCUniversal is counting on what it calls its Bravo "loyal superfans." The company said Bravo viewers watch an average of 24 hours each month, and some people watch up to 75 episodes of shows each month. The Your Bravoverse feature will be accessible through a dedicated Vertical Video space on the app's home page. It seems counterintuitive to watch a sport played on a horizontal court in a vertical format on your phone. Peacock actually already unveiled the feature before, during the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 15. During live NBA game broadcasts, AI will enable Peacock app viewers to watch the main broadcast and additional camera angles. This vertical video viewing option will reside within the Courtside Live feature, which Peacock launched during the All-Star Game. Peacock has shown vertical video clips for sporting events since early 2025 -- "a first for a streaming platform," the company said -- for NBA, NHL and the 2026 Winter Olympics. Peacock will launch the feature this spring. Peacock is also launching two new mobile games, as part of NBCUniversal's collaboration with Wolf Games, announced in October -- Law & Order: Clue Hunter and Public Eye, both mystery-solving games. The games are being created with Wolf Games' Gen-AI gaming engine and will be launched this spring. Peacock said it will also be introducing a new Jeopardy! mini‑game, with daily trivia rounds written by the Jeopardy! team, which can be played in the Peacock mobile app. In its 2025 fourth-quarter earnings report, Comcast -- owner of NBCUniversal -- said Peacock's paid subscribers increased 22% year over year to 44 million, while revenue grew 23% to $1.6 billion.

Peacock is adding an AI Andy Cohen to narrate an endless stream of Bravo clips

When you open your Peacock mobile app this summer, you might see the AI likeness of TV host Andy Cohen pop up on your homepage. In an announcement on Friday, NBCUniversal said Cohen's avatar will serve as a guide through Peacock's "infinitely swipeable" feed of clips from Bravo shows, like Love Island, The Real Housewives series, and Below Deck. The feed, called "Your Bravoverse," will surface clips from the shows that you choose when you first open up the new experience. NBCUniversal will use AI to scan and pick out scenes from your favorite shows, while an AI-generated Cohen offers input about what's happening on screen. The addition of short-form video is part of a broader trend that has streaming services trying to keep viewers locked into their apps. This week, Disney Plus followed ESPN by adding a new stream of clips, called "verts," while Netflix has also experimented with a short-form feed. John Jelley, NBCUniversal's senior vice president of product, told reporters that with the use of AI, the company can create 600 billion different variations of the Bravoverse feed. "We've used AI and an AI agent that we've trained on what Bravo fans care about," Jelley said. "There might be tens of thousands of clips and moments and metadata, but we know that fans love an explosive walk-out." A short-form video feed isn't Peacock's only play to capture user attention; it's also adding a new Law & Order: Clue Hunter mobile game this spring. The game comes from Wolf Games, the AI-enabled studio cofounded by Elliot Wolf, the son of Law & Order creator Dick Wolf. It asks users "to find hidden objects to help identify suspects and solve a mystery," according to the press release. Peacock is also adding Public Eye to its app this summer, another title from Wolf Games that uses AI to generate a new mystery to solve each day. Disclosure: Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, is also an investor in Vox Media, The Verge's parent company.

Peacock to Add Live-Action Vertical Video Clips of NBA Games This Spring

The streamer is also launching a dedicated vertical feed for clips from popular Bravo shows, guided by an AI avatar of executive producer Andy Cohen. NBCUniversal has announced a set of updates for Peacock's mobile app, and the most notable change is the introduction of the vertical video format for live NBA games. Sports have traditionally been broadcast in wide aspect ratios since they allow viewers to get a better view of the end-to-end action. To optimize the experience for the narrower 9:16 display, Peacock will crop visuals in real time using AI. An image shared by the streamer indicates the focus will remain on the action and follow the ball. This will be the first time an entertainment app offers live sports streaming in the social media-friendly vertical format, Peacock says. When the feature rolls out in beta this spring, users will be able to select it from Courtside Live. The tab provides options to watch NBA games from multiple unique camera angles. Peacock's bet on vertical feed doesn't end there. Starting this summer, the app's home page will have an infinitely swipeable feed of clips from Bravo shows, such as The Real Housewives. The streamer is calling the experience Your Bravoverse, and it begins with users selecting their favorite shows. Peacock's AI then creates playlists based on those choices. The company says its library spans about 5,000 hours of footage, from which it can generate billions of clips. Your guide through the Bravoverse will be an AI avatar of Andy Cohen, Real Housewives executive producer and Watch What Happens Live host. As the AI playlist refreshes regularly, Cohen's avatar will share insights on ongoing plot developments. A team of NBCU editors will check the avatar's output for quality and accuracy, Peacock says. Earlier this week, Disney+ also launched Verts, a vertical feed featuring content from the media giant's vast library.

Peacock unveils new AI features, including a digital Andy Cohen and live NBA vertical video

NBCUniversal's streamer is embracing a TikTok-style 'infinite scroll' with AI-curated feeds Peacock wants you to keep scrolling -- and this time, it's bringing AI along for the ride. At a preview event attended by Tom's Guide yesterday (March 12), NBCUniversal unveiled a slate of AI-powered features coming to the Peacock app. Think TikTok-style swiping, mobile gaming and personalized content all rolled into one. The biggest headline? "Your Bravoverse", an AI-powered Bravo experience guided by a digital version of the king of Bravo himself, Andy Cohen. Launching this summer, it promises endless swipeable clips, personalized playlists and a few surprises from Bravo's deep archive. Peacock isn't stopping there. AI will also power live vertical sports broadcasts and in-app mobile games, letting fans watch, play and interact with their favorite NBCUniversal franchises -- all without ever leaving the app. All of these new features are designed "under the guise of super-serving the fans," said Matt Strauss, chairman of the NBCUniversal Media Group. "Vertical video really speaks to how people are using their phones ... This is just giving fans another way to enjoy the content." Your Bravoverse, curated by AI and Andy Cohen's avatar Peacock isn't new to AI experiments. During the Paris Olympics, the service rolled out daily, personalized highlights narrated by an AI recreation of legendary sportscaster Al Michaels' voice. The feature blended generative text and voice synthesis with hundreds of clips to give users tailored video recaps each day. In a similar vein, this summer, "Your Bravoverse" promises an endlessly swipeable stream of clips pulled from decades of Bravo programming, stitched together into personalized playlists. Guiding viewers is a digital avatar of Cohen, created with generative AI to mimic his voice, style and unmistakable Bravo enthusiasm. Behind the scenes, AI will identify scenes and assemble narrative threads across seasons and franchises, in conjunction with editors reviewing everything to keep it on-brand. "It's a fusion of AI and human storytelling brought together to create a personalized experience for you with Andy Cohen as your guide," said John Jelley, senior vice president of product and user experience. I asked the Peacock executives how fans can share and talk about these personalized experiences. "You'll be able to share the experience," Jelley noted. "On day one, we will focus on your sharing the experience versus your sharing individual clips." As the platform evolves, sharing will become an even bigger part of the experience. Peacock is working closely with the Bravo team to find the right moments and partnerships to make these clips naturally shareable on outside platforms like TikTok. Vertical video and mobile gaming Peacock is also leaning into vertical video in other contexts. This spring, live sports broadcasts will be reformatted to fit your phone screen, starting with National Basketball Association games. It's the first time a streaming platform is offering a full live broadcast in vertical mode, so you can catch every dunk, block and buzzer-beater without rotating your phone. "You can have the algorithm track where the action is, where the basketball is, follow it in real-time, crop the video in real-time, and then port it over so you can watch it on your phone," Strauss explained. "It's taking vertical video to the next level." On the gaming front, Peacock is turning its shows into interactive experiences. A hidden-object mystery game set in the Law & Order universe launches this spring, alongside an original detective story later in the summer. Trivia junkies can test their knowledge with daily Jeopardy! rounds, all inside the Peacock app. Together, these new features show NBCUniversal's bigger vision: Streaming isn't just about watching shows anymore; it's about turning fandom into a fully interactive playground, with an assist from AI. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.

Peacock app is getting vertical NBA videos and a Jeopardy game, too

Peacock introduces interactive features including sports clips, AI discovery tools, and trivia games Peacock is adding several AI-powered features to its mobile app, including vertical NBA broadcasts, a personalized Bravo video hub, and an in-app Jeopardy trivia game designed to keep viewers engaged beyond traditional streaming. The new AI features are designed to make the app more interactive and turn the Peacock app into a mobile entertainment hub for fans. Instead of scrolling through titles, you will soon be able to watch sports highlights, explore personalized video feeds, and even play games tied to popular NBCUniversal franchises. Vertical NBA video is coming to Peacock Peacock is introducing live NBA broadcasts formatted vertically for mobile viewing. The feature uses AI-powered cropping technology that tracks the action and adjusts the frame so you can watch games comfortably without turning your phone sideways. Recommended Videos These vertical streams will debut in beta during NBA games this spring. They will appear inside Peacock's Courtside Live feature, which already lets you switch between different camera angles while watching a game. Peacock is also expanding short-form video across the app. One of the biggest new experiences is called Your Bravoverse, an AI-driven vertical feed guided by a digital avatar of Bravo host Andy Cohen. The feature pulls clips from more than 5,000 hours of Bravo programming and stitches them into personalized playlists. Cohen's AI avatar introduces scenes, connects storylines, and helps viewers discover new shows from the Bravo catalog. A Jeopardy game is also joining the Peacock app Peacock is also expanding into mobile gaming. One of the most recognizable additions is a Jeopardy mini game launching this spring. The game features daily trivia rounds written by the Jeopardy team. You can answer questions, track streaks, and share your results with friends, all inside the Peacock mobile app. By mixing vertical video, AI recommendations, and games, Peacock hopes to keep viewers interacting with the app long after the credits roll. Streaming platforms are increasingly turning to vertical video feeds and AI-driven recommendations to keep users engaged on mobile. Disney recently introduced its short-video format called Verts and Netflix already offers a TikTok-style discovery feed. YouTube's dominance shows why this strategy matters. The video platform generated $40.4 billion in advertising revenue last year, surpassing the combined 37.8 billion earned by major Hollywood studios, including NBCUniversal.

AI-Generated Andy Cohen in the Works for Bravo on Peacock

Disney Has Sold Out of Oscars Advertising Inventory Amid Live Event Push NBCUniversal's Peacock is debuting a suite of new products geared toward mobile users, emphasizing the vertical nature of smartphones in a bid to grow engagement with its streaming platform. Before you watch what happens live on Bravo, you will be able to have an AI-generated avatar of Andy Cohen explain what already happened in the world of the Real Housewives; Sports fans will be able to watch live NBA games, using AI-powered tech that controls the view with vertical video in mind; and Peacock is planning a significant expansion of games on its platform, bringing IP-driven fare like a new Law & Order mobile game, as well as a playable version of Jeopardy! to its offering. The expansion of vertical and interactive content comes as Peacock attempts to capture more audience time from its 44 million or so subscribers. "Most people tend to focus on subscribers as the litmus test. We really focus on time. This is where the battle is going to be," says Matt Strauss, chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, in a press briefing at 30 Rockefeller Plaza earlier this week. "Maybe I'm stating the obvious. But when you think about where the opportunity is and where the streaming focus should be, it's really about, how do you grow more share of time with consumers?" Peacock launched vertical video a year or so ago ("it's kind of nice to see other streaming services are launching vertical video," Strauss quipped, in a not-so-veiled reference to Disney+), but the new updates add a layer of tech on top of that. And the most eye-catching new addition will be "Your Bravoverse," a hub meant to engage Bravo super-fans, and help new fans understand the complex web of feuds and trysts that underscore so many of the brand's shows. "When we look to the future of our fandom, we know that our fans want deeper access, and we know new viewers want the easiest possible entry point into our content," says Frances Berwick, the chair of Bravo and Peacock unscripted. And at the heart of the Bravoverse is Andy Cohen, so NBCUniversal is using generative AI tech to create an AI avatar of Cohen to help guide users through the backstories and the latest drama that happens on Bravo programming. The video playlists will be tagged using AI to identify storylines or other connective tissue, with Bravo editors verifying them to ensure quality and accuracy. Strauss says that the feature was made in "close collaboration" with Andy, and users will be introduced to the AI Andy by a video from the actual Cohen. When the AI avatar is speaking, there is also a label identifying it as being generated with AI. By having an AI avatar lead the conversation, the platform can highlight the hours of programming that being added on a regular basis. "We label it generative with AI because we don't want anyone to think, 'is that Andy, or is that not Andy?'" says John Jelly, senior VP of product and UX for Peacock. "I think it's a version of Andy, is the way to think about it, that is being personalized with AI." "The reason we're using AI is to create those billions of variants," he adds. "If we got Andy in a booth, we might be able to create some variants, but creating on a daily basis and a weekly basis this much content that's relevant to you is really the reason we're using AI." Peacock has explored this area before, using an AI-generated version of Al Michaels' voice during the 2024 Paris Olympics. The AI Andy Cohen just takes that a step further. Your Bravoverse will first be available on mobile, but will eventually find its way to the Peacock TV app. Peacock will also use AI tech to allow for vertical streams of live sports, starting with the NBA Courtside Live product, with Jelly saying that they will expand to other sports based on the feedback from that experiment. While NBCU did not specify the tech powering the feature, Amazon Web Services debuted a suspiciously similar product called AWS Elemental Inference last month, with NBCU listed as a client. And then there's the gaming expansion, with Jelly noting that Peacock is taking effort to keep the gaming experience inside the Peacock app, rather than following Netflix's approach, which requires separate downloads on mobile devices. Of course, Peacock has been a focus point for investors, given that it appears positioned to be the last of the major streaming services to turn a profit (it posted a loss of $552 million in Q4), and because it remains smaller than many competitors, with Hulu having around 64 million subscribers as of last reporting, and Paramount+ at around 79 million. Strauss emphasized that the company is looking to change that, cutting deals for bundles and partnerships with the likes of Apple and Amazon in recent months after avoiding them for years. Still, he added, the goal is engagement and watch time first, rather than subscriber growth at all costs. "A lot of these features all are kind of independent, but they ladder back up to a very common North Star around super-serving fans, being the home for fandom, and continuing to find ways to drive more engagement across all of our content," Strauss says.