We've all heard of pay TV, but this is going in the other direction. The parent company of NBC is considering offering gift cards to stream their networks. Some observers say it's a desperation move that isn't like to work.
Media critic Jeff McCall says it's hard to imagine how this could be profitable.
"So, if they lure people into watching this new streaming service with gift cards and then try to bombard them with ads or whatever, it almost defeats the purpose."
Professor McCall says they'd probably have to offer something new and fantastic.
"It's not really clear what all content will be in this service and if it's just the kind of stuff that NBC-U already has with NBC network, USA and Bravo, that's not going to really entice all that many people, I don't think."
Professor McCall says the idea is probably to attract younger viewers, who love to stream.
"The younger eyeballs are in front of devices and watching streaming stuff, so I think this is just an attempt by NBC-U to try to get in front of that audience that watches streaming television."
But Professor McCall says if NBC-Universal wants to attract younger viewers, it'll need to offer something more exciting than the USA and Bravo networks these viewers are already ignoring.