Do you have to pay for Peacock? Peacock was free for a long time, but in 2023, things changed. Let’s go over the present situation and see if you can still enjoy Peacock without paying.
Short Answer
Peacock no longer has a free tier, nor is it available to most Xfinity customers for free. To view content, you must have a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus subscription. Pricing begins at $5.99 per month.
What is Peacock?
Peacock is an NBCUniversal streaming service with two subscription plans: Premium (with ads) and Premium Plus (ad-free). The platform provides a variety of shows, movies, and original series, as well as live sports and news.
Content can be accessed through an on-demand library or genre and franchise-specific streaming channels.
Peacock’s filmography includes a mix of Universal and NBC shows such as “The Office” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” There are also Peacock original series and movies available, including hit shows like “Poker Face” and “Twisted Metal.”
Peacock Premium is $6 per month or $60 per year. Peacock Premium, on the other hand, continues to run commercials. To watch without ads, you must upgrade to the Peacock Premium Plus plan, which costs $12 per month or $120 per year.
Both plans include access to the entire lineup of the service, including new original series, exclusive content from NBC shows and WWE Network, live sports like Sunday Night Football, and next-day streaming support for many NBC shows that are currently airing on television. Furthermore, Peacock Premium Plus includes download support as well as live-streaming access to your local NBC station.
Where Can I Sign Up for Peacock?
Peacock will be available nationwide on July 15, 2020. You can sign up for a Premium or Premium Plus subscription on the Peacock website right now.
Where Can I Watch Peacock?
On various devices, the Peacock app is shown, with the homepage featuring “Trolls,” the login page, and an episode guide displayed on the device screens.
Vizio, Samsung, and LG smart TVs, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices, Roku, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One, PlayStation, Chromecast, Xfinity, and Flex devices, support Peacock’s streaming app.
The service is also accessible via its official website.
Is Peacock Available for Free?
Peacock used to offer a free entry-level plan, but that option is no longer available to new subscribers. Members who signed up for the free plan before February 2023, on the other hand, can still access certain content without paying for a subscription.
Peacock’s free version provides around 10,000 hours of ad-supported movies and TV shows, but you can get a lot more by upgrading to a Peacock Premium plan.
Peacock Premium is often expensive, but if you have Xfinity internet or TV, you may be able to get it for free. Peacock Premium is free for current Xfinity Internet customers with gigabit speeds or Diamond or Platinum Rewards members. Similarly, Now TV customers can get Peacock Premium for free.
Spectrum customers can also get three or twelve months of Peacock for free, depending on their service.
What Shows and Movies are Available on Peacock?
The Peacock Premium and Premium Plus plans include over 80,000 hours of on-demand TV and movies. Peacock Premium Plus also allows you to watch your local NBC network live.
All paying subscribers have access to classic shows such as “The Office,” “Law & Order,” and “Parks & Recreation.” Users of Peacock can also watch new episodes of current NBC and Bravo shows the day after they air. Daily broadcasts from NBC News and MSNBC are also available on Peacock, as are new episodes of “Days of Our Lives.”
New Universal films are also available on Peacock after they have been released in theatres. Currently available on Peacock are “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Asteroid City,” and “Book Club: The Next Chapter.”
Was the Free Plan Actually Worth It?
It’s difficult to argue that the Peacock free tier wasn’t worth it. After all, it was completely free.
However, you were paying for it by watching advertisements. And you had to settle for a small library.
The limited access to Peacock’s original series was where Peacock’s free tier really fell short. Having limited access to movies and television shows may have caused you to lose interest in Peacock over time. The inclusion of original shows forced you to either abandon them after one episode or commit to a paid tier. In that sense, free Peacock was similar to a teaser service.
So whether it was worth it is entirely up to you. If you want access to a few titles that you won’t find anywhere else and don’t mind ads, Peacock’s free plan is well worth it.
Whatever the case, the option is no longer available. If you want to join in on the Peacock fun, you now have to choose between two paid plans.
Peacock Plans Overview
Peacock offers two paid plans. The two plans essentially offer the same access to Peacock’s content. That is, if you are a paying customer, you will have unlimited access.
Peacock Premium is available for $5.99 per month. You’ll have unlimited access to all movies, TV shows, and other content, including new releases from theaters. The only drawbacks are that it is still ad-supported, that you cannot download content, and that you will miss out on local NBC live channels.
You can remove all ads, download content for offline viewing, and access your local NBC live channels if you upgrade to a Peacock Premium Plus subscription for $11.99 per month.
You have the option to cancel either plan at any time.
Why did Peacock discontinue its free plan?
Nothing in life is free, and Peacock’s content is no exception. Operating the streaming service has costs, and according to Comcast reports from last year, the service is losing money. It appears that it has yet to make a profit since its launch in 2020.
On the plus side, according to the same report, Peacock’s paid subscriber base has more than doubled, surpassing 20 million. The company appears to have used this opportunity to focus on its premium offerings, hoping to turn a profit soon.
Regardless, Peacock isn’t saying much about it.
Where can I find Peacock?
Peacock is currently available only in the United States. However, certain titles are available on other services in different regions.
Can I watch live Peacock channels?
Yes. Peacock offers over 50 live channels, including live news, WWE events, and sports. The live channels are accessible through both free and paid accounts.
What devices and platforms are supported by Peacock?
Peacock is compatible with every major platform and device. Chrome, Firefox, and Safari are among the supported browsers, as are Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, and others.
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