Should You Subscribe to Peacock, NBC’s New Streaming Service?
Peacock , NBCUniversal’s new streaming platform launched today to the general public, and if you’re already paying for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and / or a combination of other streaming services, you might be wondering whether to add it to the list.
There are two things that stand out at Peacock that can pay off your time: it has a completely free subscription (with ads), and its premium tiers include live news and sports.
Here’s everything you need to know about Peacock plans, pricing and content.
How much is it?
Peacock’s simplest plan is free, although it does include limited coding and ads.
The next tier, called Peacock Premium, is still ad-supported but offers full access to NBC programming, including original series, live sporting events, and next-day NBC and Telemundo content. Peacock Premium costs $ 4.99 a month (but comes free with some Xfinity and Cox internet plans).
Peacock Premium Plus, the highest tier, costs $ 9.99 per month and allows you to view most (but not all) of your content ad-free.
You can test Premium and Premium Plus with a 7-day free trial.
What can I see?
Peacock has over 20,000 hours of content , about 13,000 of which are available in the Free Tier. This means you can watch shows like 30 Rock , Parks & Amusement , Saturday Night Live , Downton Abbey and Battlestar Galactica for free, as well as films from franchises such as Park Jurassic “ ,” Jason Bourne “ and ” The Matrix “ .
If you upgrade to Peacock Premium, you’ll also get more shows and films – House , Frasier , Law and Order: SVU and Shrek (to name a few), as well as live sports broadcasts (Premier League football matches and the Olympics , assuming they do happen next year) and early access to Tonight’s Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
(It should be noted that Netflix has rights to The Office until 2021, which means the show will join the Peacock platform at a later date. Some of these shows, including SNL , will also remain on Hulu or other streaming services.)
You can also watch shows on NBC-owned channels such as CNBC or Bravo, in addition to classic films from the Universal Pictures collection of films, including Back to the Future, The Fast and the Furious, and Jaws.
Peacock is also bringing in some of the NBC heavyweights to create its original content. Programs include a show called Division One, based on the women’s soccer team and executive produced by Amy Poehler; a comedy series about a female singer-songwriter, produced by Tina Fey ; and the revival of McGruber’s character on the show with fellow SNL alumnus Will Forte.
Finally, NBC has a licensing agreement with ViacomCBS , so Peacock subscribers can watch certain Showtime and CW series, as well as a number of Paramount films (like The Godfather Trilogy).
Where can I watch?
You can stream Peacock to your desktop or Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, LG Smart TV, Vizio TV, or Xbox One. PlayStation 4 app coming soon. Peacock is not available on FireTV or Roku (yet).
Should I subscribe?
It depends what you are looking for. Since the lowest level, Peacock, is free, it doesn’t hurt to create an account and try it out – you’ll have access to a huge amount of NBC content, although you’ll have to watch it with ads.
So what about the Peacock Premium? If you want reruns, several popular NBC shows already have queues on other platforms such as Friends (on HBO Max), The Good Place (on Netflix), and Saturday Night Live (on Hulu), which can make signing up for Peacock a bit useless. if you already have access to one or more competitors. In addition, limited editions of some shows (and full editions of others) are available in the Free Tier. However, it is unclear if NBC content will be pulled from other platforms – or from the free tier – in the future.
If you enjoy live sports, the Peacock Premium might be worth it in the end. The 2021 Olympics have been pushed back to 2021 due to COVID-19, and many competitions are just around the corner, but Premier League football has already returned to business.
If you’re interested in original films and shows, it’s too early to talk about it, although the involvement of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler is promising. It might be better to wait a few months to see what has been added and then make a decision. But if you really want to check it out now, you can always sign up for a free trial .
This article was originally published in January 2020 and was updated by Emily Long on July 15, 2020. Our updates include the following: fact-checking, updated information on Peacock plans, pricing and content, and information on where to watch.