Even though longtime fans are waiting for the rest of its Season 5 episodes to air, Yellowstone is building upon its already massive fanbase thanks to Sunday night airings on CBS’ fall schedule amidst industry strikes shaking up the entertainment world. Millions of viewers are tuning into the earliest days of the saga surrounding Kevin Costner’s John Dutton, and someone over at Peacock had the idea to try and sway viewers over to streaming. I’m pretty sure Beth would have given that move a standing ovation, with or without an open bottle of wine in her hand, but it may not have been as bizarrely wild a move as one might think.
To lay out the plain details, those who were watching Yellowstone’s second and third eps on CBS on the night of September 24 witnessed not just one, but two full-on commercials in which Peacock boasted itself as the sole streaming home for Taylor Sheridan’s western drama. So as audiences were still in the midst of learning more about the show’s core family and how the ranch life works for those who call it home, the NBCUniversal platform played its card to try and draw linear viewers over to streaming.
It was a pretty brilliant move on Peacock’s part, since all it took was the advertising dollars to put itself right in front of the ideal group of people execs would want to see the ad. Whether or not it was a success isn’t known, and we may never have any real idea of how many people were driven to the service simply from the CBS ads, but it will be interesting to see if the company touts a boost in Peacock subscriptions from those commercials.
But here’s the thing: while this might seem like a baffling move for CBS to agree to, considering NBC has been a broadcast rival for decades on end, it isn’t at all a total loss on the network’s part. CBS’ parent company Paramount Global is still making money from the licensed episodes being on Peacock — a deal that Paramount execs would love to go back in time to talk themselves out of, no doubt — as well as from the ads themselves. So while the advantages and positives may be harder to measure, they still exist, even if the ads themselves are actively trying to draw viewers away.
Yellowstone: A Timeline Of Beth And Jamie Duttons' Feud
At a time when Netflix, Disney+, Hulu and others are very adamant about not airing commercials for rival streaming services and networks amidst their ad breaks, Yellowstone’s cross-promotion feels like it could be the toe in the door that could open things up for other industry rivals to find clever ways to draw more eyeballs. Perhaps AMC and Netflix teaming up for ads pointing fans to The Walking Dead streaming while also promoting the ongoing season of TWD: Daryl Dixon (which revealed a doozy of a walker set piece in its latest episode).
So in case it wasn’t already clear from everything stated above, Yellowstone is airing Season 1 episodes on CBS every Sunday night, with 8:00 p.m. being the planned start time, but with the knowledge that NFL games will cause spillover timing. And if that’s too hectic for you, Peacock is the home of all 4 ½ seasons, while a Paramount+ subscription will get you access to 1883, 1923, and all the other upcoming Yellowstone shows yet to premiere.
