Comcast Knows Exactly What's at Stake With Its Soon-to-Launch Peacock Streaming Service

The cable television business faces a growing problem. Yes, it's fighting a wave of cord-cutting that doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon, but that's not the most noteworthy of its challenges. More pressing -- though more subtle -- is the cable industry's growing struggle to sell highly targeted ad space to advertisers who are trying to reach increasingly distracted consumers. Streaming services that rely on advertising revenue may be doing even worse when it comes to connecting advertisers with the right consumers. It's an undertow particularly concerning for Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) shareholders. Its NBCUniversal division not only operates in the conventional cable television space, but it's entering the streaming fray with a fully ad-supported version of Peacock.