Peacock Will Feature Free Tier and Two Premium Options
- Peacock is preparing a free, ad-supported tier upon launch.
- Premium tiers will feature some ads ($5 per month) or no ads ($10 per month).
- Peacock will launch April 15th across the US.
In perhaps one of the coolest announcements in streaming news in the past few months, NBC's Peacock will also feature a tier that's completely free, supported by ads.
Scheduled for an April 15th launch, Peacock is going to feature multiple tiers so it suits everyone's desire for involvement in the service and their love for NBC content. One of the tiers will be completely free, another will cost $5 and feature "some" ads, while the last will cost $10 and come with no ads.
The free tier includes about 7,500 hours of video, they said. The account comes with next-day access to current seasons of shows in their first season, and select episodes of Peacock originals, but not full seasons. It will also include access to curated genre channels (such as SNL Vault or Family Movie Night), as well as complete classic series, popular movies, daily news, sports programming, and Spanish-language content.
The Premium membership gives folks access to all content, which accounts for about 15,000 hours of video. This includes a full season of Peacock original shows, next-day access to current seasons of NBC shows, early access to late-night talk shows like Jimmy Fallon's or Seth Meyer's, as well as additional sports content like the Premier League soccer tournament or the Ryder Cup.
In short, NBC is serving up all its content for Peacock subscribers, and it's pretty awesome. While the free tier is also rather great, it's the Premium versions that give you access to everything, and their collection is impressive. 30 Rock, Battlestar Galactica, Cheers, Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, Downton Abbey, Frasier, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Married... With Children, Parks and Recreation, Saved by the Bell, and Superstore, are just some of the shows you'll get to see there. The list is supplemented by movies like Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Jurassic Park, Mamma Mia!, Meet the Parents, Despicable Me, and more sports and shows.
The idea of Peacock is great, and we hope they will rise up to the hype. The fact that they also offer a free trial makes them stand out, especially considering that there are other networks that also offer a streaming service, such as ESPN or CBS, but they both have only paid subscriptions available.
Peacock is entering a crowded scene with a lot of streaming platforms and live TV services that are fighting for the chance of yet another subscriber. On the other hand, subscribers are getting frustrated with having to create a ton of accounts and pay multiple fees to watch their favorite content that's split into so many services. The idea to create a free trial may make Peacock more attractive to potential subscribers that would get to enjoy their content without paying, even if it's not the full library.