Peacock, NBCUniversal’s new streaming platform, launched to the general public today—and if you’re already paying for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and/or a combination of other streaming services, you may be wondering whether to add this one to the list.
Two things stand out about Peacock that may make it worth your while: there’s a completely free (ad-supported) subscription option, and its premium tiers include live news and sports.
Here’s everything you need to know about Peacock’s plans, pricing and content.
How much does it cost?
The most basic Peacock plan is free, though it comes with limited programming and ads.
The next tier, called Peacock Premium, is still ad-supported but unlocks complete access to NBC’s programming, including original series, live sports and next-day airing of current NBC and Telemundo content. Peacock Premium costs $4.99 per month (but comes free with certain Xfinity and Cox Internet plans).
Peacock Premium Plus, the highest tier, costs $9.99 per month and lets you view most (but not all) content without ads.
You can test-drive Premium and Premium Plus with a 7-day free trial.
What can I watch?
Peacock has 20,000-plus hours of content, about 13,000 of which is available on the free tier. That means you can watch shows like 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live, Downton Abbey and Battlestar Galactica, as well as movies from franchises the likes of Jurassic Park, Jason Bourne and The Matrix at no cost.
If you upgrade to Peacock Premium, you’ll also get more shows and movies—House, Frasier, Law and Order: SVU and Shrek (to name a few)—as well as live sports (Premier League soccer games and the Olympics, assuming they actually take place next year) and early access to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
(It should be noted that Netflix has the rights to The Office until 2021, meaning that 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 from NBC-owned channels like CNBC or Bravo, in addition to classic movies from its backlog of Universal Pictures films, including Back to the Future, Fast and the Furious and Jaws.
Peacock is also enlisting some NBC heavyweights for its slate of original content. Programs include a show called Division One, based on a women’s soccer team and executive produced by Amy Poehler; a comedy series about a girl singing group executive produced by Tina Fey; and a revival of the MacGruber character for a series starring another SNL alum, Will Forte.
Finally, NBC has a licensing deal with ViacomCBS, so Peacock subscribers can watch certain TV series from Showtime and the CW as well as a number of Paramount movies (The Godfather trilogy, for example).
Where can I watch?
You can stream Peacock on desktop or on Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, LG Smart TV, Vizio TV or Xbox One. A PlayStation 4 app is coming soon. Peacock is not available on FireTV or Roku (yet).
Should I subscribe?
It depends on what you’re looking for. Since the lowest Peacock tier is free, it doesn’t hurt to create an account and try it out—you’ll get access to a huge swath of NBC content, though you will have to watch it with ads.
So what about Peacock Premium? If you’re in it for reruns, several popular NBC shows already have backlogs on other platforms, like Friends (on HBO Max), The Good Place (on Netflix) and Saturday Night Live (on Hulu)—which might make subscribing to Peacock a little useless if you already have access to one or more of its competitors. Plus, limited episodes of some shows (and full runs of others) are available on the free tier. That said, it’s not clear whether NBC content will be pulled from other platforms—or the free tier—in the future.
If live sports are your jam, Peacock Premium may be worth it eventually. The 2021 Olympics have been postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19, and many competitions are up in the air—but Premiere League soccer is already back in business.
If you’re interested in the original movies and shows, it’s too early to tell, though both Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s involvement is promising. It may be better to wait a few months to see what’s added and then decide. But if you do want to check it out now, you can always sign up for a free trial.
This piece was originally published in January 2020 and updated on July 15, 2020 by Emily Long. Our updates include the following: fact checking, updated information about Peacock’s plans, pricing and content and information about where to watch.