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

Peacock Bets Big on AI Features to Transform Mobile Viewing

NBCUniversal's streaming platform Peacock is launching a suite of AI features designed to reshape how viewers interact with its mobile app. At a press event on March 12, the company unveiled plans that blend generative AI, vertical video, and interactive gaming into a TikTok-style experience aimed at keeping users engaged longer on their phones1

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. The most ambitious addition is Your Bravoverse, an infinitely swipeable feed of clips from Bravo shows like The Real Housewives and Vanderpump Rules, all narrated by an AI avatar of Andy Cohen2

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. This feature pulls from more than 5,000 hours of Bravo footage and uses computer vision to identify key storylines and moments across the library1

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Your Bravoverse Delivers Personalized Playlists Through AI

The Your Bravoverse experience starts with users selecting their favorite Bravo shows and iconic moments. From there, AI agents trained on Bravo fan behavior build personalized playlists that can generate more than 600 billion possible viewing variations1

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. The AI avatar of Andy Cohen, trained to mimic his distinctive style and voice, acts as narrator by introducing moments, connecting storylines, and surfacing shows viewers might not have discovered yet2

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. Matt Strauss, Chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, called it a "first-of-its-kind experience" that pairs the deep Bravo library with agentic and generative AI to create personalization at scale2

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. A team of NBCUniversal editors will review the avatar's output to maintain quality and accuracy4

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Vertical Live NBA Broadcasts Target Mobile-First Sports Fans

Peacock is also introducing vertical live NBA broadcasts this spring, marking the first time a streaming platform offers full live sports in vertical format4

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. The feature uses AI-driven real-time cropping optimized for phone screens, tracking the basketball and adjusting the frame to follow the action5

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. The vertical broadcasts will appear within Courtside Live, a mobile viewing feature that debuted during the 2026 NBA All-Star Game on February 15, allowing viewers to switch between multiple camera angles alongside the main broadcast1

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. This builds on Peacock's existing short-form video capabilities for NBA, NHL, and the 2026 Winter Olympics2

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AI-Enabled Mobile Games Expand Interactive Entertainment

The mobile app expansion includes AI-enabled mobile games developed through NBCUniversal's partnership with Wolf Games, announced in October. Law & Order: Clue Hunter and Public Eye, both mystery-solving games, launch this spring and summer respectively1

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. Wolf Games, co-founded by Elliot Wolf, son of Law & Order creator Dick Wolf, uses a generative AI gaming engine to create immersive experiences where players gather clues and use an AI assistant to solve crimes3

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. Peacock is also adding daily Jeopardy! trivia rounds written by the Jeopardy! team, joining existing titles like Wheel of Fortune and Daily Swap1

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Strategic Shift Aims to Drive Viewer Engagement and Subscriber Growth

These updates signal a broader strategy shift as Peacock attempts to compete not just with other streaming services but with social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts for viewer attention1

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. Starting this summer, vertical video will receive its own dedicated section in the app, replacing the current download button in the main bottom navigation2

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. John Jelley, senior vice president of product and user experience at NBCUniversal, noted that the platform is working to make clips shareable on external platforms like TikTok as the experience evolves5

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The timing matters for Peacock's business trajectory. The streaming platform recently grew to 44 million subscribers, up from a plateau of 41 million that lasted three consecutive quarters in 20251

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. In its 2025 fourth-quarter earnings report, Comcast reported that Peacock's paid subscribers increased 22% year over year, while revenue grew 23% to $1.6 billion2

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. However, the platform still operates at a loss, making viewer engagement and user experience improvements critical for long-term sustainability.

Testing AI on Bravo's Devoted Fanbase

Peacock chose Bravo viewers as the testing ground for AI storytelling, and the numbers explain why. The average Bravo viewer watches about 24 hours of content per month, while the most dedicated fans consume up to 75 episodes monthly1

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. Reality TV creates ideal bite-sized clips for infinite scroll experiences, and Bravo's famously devoted fanbase provides a passionate audience for experimentation1

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. Andy Cohen himself acknowledged the strategy, stating: "If there's one thing Bravo fans love, it's being part of the conversation. It's the best of AI and the best of Bravo"2

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This isn't Peacock's first venture into AI. During the 2024 Summer Olympics, the platform introduced generative AI recaps that created personalized 10-minute summaries narrated by an AI voice modeled after sports announcer Al Michaels1

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. The success of that experiment appears to have encouraged more ambitious AI integration across the mobile app. Strauss emphasized that these features are designed "under the guise of super-serving the fans" and giving them new ways to enjoy content5

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. As streaming platforms face pressure to differentiate and drive engagement, Peacock's approach suggests a future where AI transforms passive viewing into interactive, personalized entertainment experiences tailored to mobile-first consumption habits.