While Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max and the bazillion other streaming services out there continue to up their costs, Peacock has surprisingly become one of the cheapest players on the market. For as little as $5.99 a month or £59.99 a year, you can get access to the plethora of top TV shows and a constant rollout of the latest films, such as Cocaine Bear and Bupkis.
But what is the Peacock streaming service? Peacock TV is NBC's relatively new media platform that launched nationwide in July 2020. It provides exclusive access to Premier League football (soccer) matches in the US as well as the only place to watch The Office (US) and some of the latest cinema releases, like Nope.
What else does Peacock TV offer, and how does it stack against established streaming services like Hulu? Is it even worth paying for Peacock when it's already available for free? Check out our guide for answers to these questions plus a complete rundown of Peacock TV prices, features, free trials, and deals.
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Peacock TV prices and plans
As of 2023, Peacock TV costs have two tiers: Peacock Premium (ads) at $5.99 per month and Peacock Premium Plus (ad-free) at $11.99 per month. Each of these then has an annual offering of $59.99 a year (ads) and $119.99 a year (ad-free). You save 17% a year by opting for an annual subscription.
All Peacock TV plans feature at least 80,000-plus hours of content spanning movies, TV shows, current NBC programs, and 24/7 virtual channels. You'll also have access to daily news, kids' shows and movies, and Spanish-language entertainment from Telemundo.
Peacock Premium features new shows, films and originals, live sports and events, current NBC and Bravo Shows, alongside over 50 "Always-On" channels. Premium Plus then removes ads altogether (though there are some limited exclusions), the ability to download and watch select titles online as well as having access to your local NBC Channel 24/7.
Peacock TV deals and free trials
You can save on Peacock prices by opting for an annual plan instead of paying per month. One year of Peacock Premium costs $59.99, a total saving of $10 (17%). Meanwhile, subscribe to a year of Peacock Premium Plus for $119.99 and save $20 (17%) overall.
Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus no longer include a 7-day free trial as this was quietly removed around the summer of 2021. NBCUniversal, owner of Peacock TV, also then removed the free tier for the streaming service in January 2023. Eligible Xfinity and Cox Cable subscribers can get Peacock Premium for free in certain offers, so worth keeping an eye out there.
What Peacock TV shows are included?
Peacock Premium and Premium Plus feature access to Peacock Originals' exclusive content. Peacock Originals include Poker Face, Rutherford Falls, Bel-Air, Brave New World, Girls5eva, Mrs. Davies, Yellowstone (season one to four), One of Us is Lying, Days of Our Lives, Killing it, Law & Order: Hate Crimes, and more.
Peacock Originals also encompass shows that were picked up for additional seasons after being aired elsewhere, like former NBC Must See TV comedy A.P. Bio.
Peruse the Peacock Premium TV library and you'll find full seasons of 30 Rock, Modern Family, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Unsolved Mysteries, Battlestar Galactica, and more. The official Peacock website lets you browse the wider catalog before signing up too.
What Peacock movies are available?
The Peacock movie lineup changes quite often, and feature titles spread out over the years. It's not the place for super new releases, but there are plenty of what you might call modern classics like Despicable Me and Bridesmaids, with plenty of other familiar titles going back to the 80s. It's also got the rights to stream the complete Harry Potter collection alongside some big recent releases like Nope, Tár, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Jurassic World: Dominion, Knock at the Cabin, The Black Phone, Cocaine Bear, She Said, M3GHAN, and more.
It's the sort of movie collection where you'll be able to find plenty of really good older movies, but arguably ones you've seen before with a handful of new ones thrown in that you've been meaning to watch. It's definitely got better in 2023 with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, for instance, debuting in cinemas on December 21st, 2022, and then popping up on Peacock from March 10th, 2023. We're expecting The Super Mario Bros. Movie to follow in a similar timeframe. Take a look at the up-to-date list on the official website.
What Peacock Channels are available?
Peacock Channels are curated blocks of 24/7 streaming content that are accessible across all Peacock subscription tiers.
Choose from over 50 channels featuring news, sports, TV shows, and movies. Notable Peacock Channels include The Office Zen, Premier League TV, The Bob Ross Channel, SNL Vault, Hallmark Channel, NBC News Now, Sky News, Today All Day, NBC Sports, WWE Network, GolfPass, Dateline 24/7, True Crime, Saturday Night Live with more added reasonably regularly. You can find the full list of channels on the Peacock TV site.
Live sports & sports entertainment on Peacock TV
In January, Peacock reached an agreement with WWE for exclusive rights to WWE Network content including pay-per-views and in-ring shows. This went into effect in March 2021.
Other live sports on Peacock include rugby, Supercross, and figure skating. With NBC Sports Network going off-air at the end of 2021, Peacock could follow the lead of ESPN Plus and expand its roster of online-only live sports events.
Peacock Premier League football (soccer) is available
Peacock costs include access to over 175 live Premier League football (soccer) matches and on-demand replays for Premium subscribers. If that's not enough, the Premier League TV channel features around-the-clock news and NBC Sports Channel replays classic Premier League games.
Is Peacock TV free?
Peacock TV is no longer free as of January 2023. The decision was made by owners NBCUniversal in a move to help growth with paid plans. As a result, the only way to stream Peacock TV content is to sign up for one of its plans. The cheapest plan is available for $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, however, that does come with ads.
Is Peacock on Roku and Fire Stick?
Peacock supports streaming on Roku, Chromecast, Android TV, Apple TV, and various gaming consoles and smart TVs. And as of June 2021, it's finally available on Amazon Fire TV devices too, so you no longer have to sideload it.
Is Peacock TV worth it?
Peacock TV's basic tier provides a pretty decent variety of shows and movies from NBC Universal's vast portfolio of brands — largely thanks to its Peacock Channels.
Furthermore, with the price of competitor streaming services rising, that $4.99 a month on Peacock Premium is pretty great in 2023. While Hulu is arguably better for content at $7.99 per month (with ads) it does all come down to cost and your own individual situation. You can read more in our guide to the best Hulu prices and bundles.
Peacock Premium offers live sports and an extensive back-catalog of NBC's most-beloved programs, but Hulu has those, too. Shows like 30 Rock and Law & Order: SVU are available to stream on both Peacock TV and Hulu. Meanwhile, Hulu can be bundled with ESPN Plus and Disney Plus for just $12.99 a month — adding not only live sports but also more shows and movies to enjoy. Be sure to take a look at our latest Disney Plus bundles and ESPN Plus costs and price roundups for the best offers. For one of the biggest selections of sports though, you'll want to look at our guide to the Fubo TV costs for the various different tiers it has.
While lots of shows were canceled by Peacock in its first year or so - Save by the Bell, Rutherford Falls, Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol etcetera. – Peacock has invested heavily with a lot more original shows now becoming conversation points. With the likes of Poker Face from Rian Johnson, Rutherford Falls headlined by Ed Helms, Mrs. Davies starring Betty Gilpin and its own Traitors series with host Alan Cumming, the streaming platform is definitely on the up. Kevin Costner's Yellowstone is also another that has garnered a huge audience. Then you have modern hits like Brooklyn 99, Modern Family, New Girl, Parks and Recreation, the list goes on.
Looking at movies, it's a bit more of a mixed bag but Peacock TV does have all eight Harry Potter movies. It also has recent releases like M3GAN, Knock at the Cabin Door, Cocaine Bear, Tár, She Said, Inside, Violent Night, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and lots more.
Naturally, all of this comes down to your personal preference but at $4.99 a month, it's incredibly competitive with its plethora of TV series definitely the most appealing factor. Overall it's worth considering if you are wanting to save some money and believe these movies and shows will be worth your while.
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