NBCUniversal is betting you’ll want to watch what happens when it launches “Shop What Happens,” a new Peacock series with a heavy dose of Bravo and just a hint of what may lie in TV’s future.
The program looks a lot like an “after show,” one of those talk-fests in which the stars of the program you just watched (and maybe some high-profile fans) gather to discuss the ins and outs of the previous hour. When this “Shop” opens, however, it will feature host Daryn Carp in ten-minute conversations with popular Bravo figures such as Cynthia Bailey, Ariana Biermann, Lindsay Hubbard, Michelle Saniei, and Nia Sanchez. Between the dish and some games, however, there is also time to talk about things that people might buy — in this particular case, goods from retailing giant Target.
“There are going to be QR codes on the screen,” says Carp, speaking alongside Hubbard in a tiny studio in the same downtown New York building from which Bravo’s flagship “Watch What Happens Live” originates. “We want to make it just like Bravo. We want to make it as easy to digest as possible.”
The five-episode series will surface Sundays starting June 14 on Peacock, YouTube and TikTok and via clips on Instagram. On Peacock’s mobile app and TikTok, content is served in a vertical video format, and the QR codes help viewers shop directly from Peacock on traditional TV screens, while text-to-shop and click-to-shop technology give the chance to shop the featured Target items they see across the Peacock mobile app, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
Some advertisers are eager to turn up in such environments, says Michelle Mesenburg, Target’s chief brand officer. “Consumers today don’t think about content, entertainment and shopping as separate experiences. They move seamlessly between them, and increasingly they expect brands to do the same,” she says in responses to questions provided via email, adding: “For us, the opportunity isn’t simply about making content shoppable. It’s about creating experiences that feel authentic to the audience, add value and make participation easy. When commerce can enhance an experience rather than interrupt it, that’s where we see the greatest potential.”
While the presence of QR codes has the potential to make the program look like a telecast from QVC, more stalwarts of TV have begun to embrace their presence. Both NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America” feature shopping segments that use on-air prompts to guide viewers toward making a purchase. And NBCU has been experimenting with what is known as “shoppable TV” for years.
In 2024, NBC allowed Walmart to run QR codes during commercial breaks that took viewers to Walmart.com shopping pages. “Love Island USA” has also featured QR codes that help the audience shop for haircare and beauty products, home decor and clothing. When the 2024 Paris Olympics opened, NBCU offered Peacock viewers the chance to order food and beverages from delivery services.
TV companies for decades have relied on revenue from advertising as well as syndication and aftermarket sales of the series they run. As digital technology and new forms of distribution rework the economics of the business, however, some media stalwarts have cast about for new forms of revenue. At NBCU, e-commerce represents a chance for new cash flows. The company has for months invested in new technology that allows viewers to buy some of the items they see on display during programming. The effort allows NBCU to do more business with smaller companies that might not normally purchase ad inventory on a national TV network.
“We have this incredibly rabid fan base around Bravo, and this is just the latest iteration of how we are giving fans more of the content they love, and we are giving brands a seat at the table,” says Karen Kovacs, president of advertising and partnerships at NBCU, in a recent interview.
During a taping of “Shop What Happens” that took place on Tuesday, however, Carp and Hubbard spent decidedly more time on questions and quizzes than they did on commerce. The show opened with Carp lobbing queries at Hubbard about her dating life and her recent adventures on the popular Bravo series “Summer House.” Only after the two had spilled tea did they turn to shopping. The duo examined a white summer dress from Target as well as a basket festooned with cute decorations, with each member of the pair offering up ideas for how such an item might be used.
After a little more time, Hubbard and Carp moved on to a quiz.
Without some of the stuff fans really want, the show might not succeed, both participants suggested. “Daryn and I just bounce off of each other so well, and it’s 10 minutes, “says Hubbard. “She challenges me.”
The viewers who will choose to watch “Shop” will want to make sure “we’re getting the gossip, we’re getting the fun,” says Carp. “We know that the audience is here not only to shop, but really to see her. And we want to highlight her as much as possible.” The conversation needs to be “super easy-going and flowy.”
Future episodes will feature Carp talking to Bailey from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” about what to bring to a summer party and Biermann from “Next Gen NYC” about beauty trends and self care.
Hosts and executives at NBCU think the episodes will have value even some time after they air. You don’t have to be getting ready for summer, after all, to think about summer fashions. But they also envision “Shop What Happens” episodes for many different times of the year. “I think we’re not just going to keep it to summer,” says Carp. Other themes might include the holidays; figuring out the perfect gift; or what to do around back to school season. “You could imagine a holiday version of it,” says NBCU’s Kovacs.