Peacock points frustrated Fire TV users toward workaround

Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming video service, still doesn’t have an Amazon Fire TV app but it has pointed some users toward a workaround.

The official Peacock Twitter account has suggested a sideloading option (detailed here) on Fire TV for users asking about when a native app will arrive. “We understand your frustration. While Peacock is not currently supported on Amazon devices, there are sideloading options that some customers have found helpful.”

The absence of a Peacock app on Fire TV could be felt more as WWE content, including Wrestlemania on April 10-11, shifts over to Peacock Premium.

RELATED: Deeper Dive—Almost seven months later and still no Peacock on Fire TV

Peacock launched for Comcast subscribers in April 2020 before going national on July 15. The service made its big debut without support from Amazon Fire TV or Roku – two of the biggest connected TV platforms – but settled its differences with Roku by September. However, coming up on nine months later, NBCUniversal still hasn’t reached an agreement with Amazon.

During a keynote address earlier this month at a Morgan Stanley investor conference, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts hinted that Peacock may be close to plugging that hole in its distribution. He didn’t specifically mention Amazon but he did say his company hopes and believes that Peacock will be on all major platforms soon.

Peacock is currently available on Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Android TV, LG, Vizio, PlayStation, Xbox, iOS and Android devices along with Comcast’s X1 and Flex set-top boxes. According to The Desk’s Matthew Keys, Samsung is telling customers that Peacock will be available on its Tizen smart TV operating system later this month.

During an event earlier this week, NBCUniversal said that Peacock has now attracted 35 million sign-ups.