NBCUniversal’s Peacock unveiled a seemingly new reality dating show, only to reveal it as an early April Fools’ Day prank.
In a clever partnership with language-learning app Duolingo, Peacock introduced “Love Language,” a fake show supposedly featuring 10 “confident and flirty singles” from around the world, sharing a house in paradise to find true love – with the twist that they don’t speak the same language.
The only genuine aspect of the show is its trailer, accessible on Peacock and Duolingo apps and social channels.
The imaginary dating competition involves contestants taking daily Duolingo lessons to find their match by the episode’s end or face elimination by the “iconic host and merciless judge, Duo the Owl.” The trailer humorously features Francesca Farago, a veteran of Netflix reality dating shows who boasts 6.1 million Instagram followers.
While the show is fake, the partnership aims to achieve real business results. Promotions for “Love Language” include 50% off three months of Peacock Premium (a one-time payment of $7.49) until April 19. The ad-supported version of Peacock typically costs $4.99/month. Additionally, users can get free one month of Super Duolingo access (usually $12.99/month).
As NBCU seeks to grow Peacock’s paid subscriber base in the competitive streaming market, it ceased signups for the free version of Peacock in January. By the end of 2022, Peacock had 20 million paid subscribers, more than double the 9 million from the previous year. Despite a full-year adjusted loss of $2.5 billion in 2022, Comcast anticipates peak losses of about $3 billion for Peacock in 2023.
Peacock and Duolingo have teamed up in an ingenious April Fools’ Day prank to present a fake reality dating show called “Love Language.” Despite the show’s fictional nature, the collaboration aims to promote real business objectives, offering discounts on Peacock Premium and Super Duolingo subscriptions.
