NBCUniversal To Release Streaming Service ‘Watch Back,’ Which Rewards Viewers For Engaging

NBCUniversal (NBCU) is prepping a streaming service that will reward users for engaging with what’s essentially a sample pack of its content. The service, Watch Back, will be free, and will feature clips and single episodes of NBCU’s shows, Variety

Unlike Netflix and Hulu, Watch Back will not have full series. Instead it’s meant to act as a taster, similar to Amazon’s previews of Kindle books. But in this case, NBCU plans to reward folks who stream its content. Viewers will be given points for watching videos, and they’ll reportedly be able to redeem those points for things like gift certificates.

Watch Back is a unique take on streaming — but it’s not powerful enough to say NBCU is making an entry into the streaming space as other broadcast networks have done. We’re seeing space entries with many niche and single-studio streaming services, including Disney’s unnamed service, Warner Bros. and DC Comics’ DC Universe, and CBS’s upcoming 24/7 local news stream — but Watch Back is not here to challenge any of those services. Instead, it seems intended to draw viewership to shows that largely air on cable when so many people are cord-cutting.

Variety reports that NBCU intends to launch Watch Back sometime this year.