NBCUniversal's Peacock Hatching In April

Comcast’s NBCUniversal will make its official entry into the streaming wars in April, when it rolls out direct-to-consumer service Peacock.

While Peacock’s debut will come after Disney and Apple introduced their own versions, Peacock is positioned to stand out, reports The Philly Biz Journal.

Unlike its subscription-based competitors, which are commercial-free, Peacock will be ad-based and offered free to existing Comcast customers. Subscription options, including a no-ad version, will be available for non-customers as well.

Executives are hoping Peacock’s unique structure — even Hulu charges for its ad-based version — and the more than 50 million customers Comcast has around the world will help scale the platform quickly.

Peacock's also being tied to Comcast's new streaming device, Flex. Comcast launched Flex a year ago but began offering a free Flex box to customers this past fall as a way to give them access to some streaming services, including Peacock, as well as its popular voice-controlled remote.

Customers can also subscribe to video services through Flex, which can automatically then operate like one of Comcast's next-generation X1 set-top boxes. How well Peacock and Flex are received over the next year could indicate how well the company will be able to navigate the brave new digital media world.

“It’s a moment in time, and consumers are making their choices of apps and viewing habits, and you want to be aggressive to get in there and make sure that your service is one of the consumers’ handful of favorite services,” said outgoing NBCUniversal head Steve Burke during the company’s third quarter earnings call.