Peacock is yet another streaming service launching into a crowded market. But NBCUniversal is betting that letting people access Peacock cost-free will get them to sign up. Of course, they would love for you to pay more. Here’s what you need to know.
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How Much Does Peacock Cost?
When Peacock launches nationwide in mid-July, it will offer three pricing tiers. The first will be a free tier that gives everyone limited, ad-supported access to the NBCUniversal content catalog.
Peacock Premium will be a $5-per-month subscription. While still ad-supported, it gives you full access to Peacock’s live and on-demand content library. Peacock Premium+ is a $10-per-month plan that removes most advertising.
Ahead of the national launch, Peacock Premium was made available free of charge to Xfinity’s cable broadband customers. Since Comcast owns both companies, Peacock gets to enlist Xfinity’s 26-million customers in a giant beta test. Xfinity customers can pay the extra $5 to remove ads from Peacock’s content.
How Bad is Advertising on Peacock?
TV shows and made-for-TV movies already have commercial breaks built in and Peacock uses all of them. Expect five breaks during a one-hour TV episode. But the experience isn’t as bad as it is on cable. The ads only last between twenty and sixty seconds. Theatrically-released movies in the on-demand catalog do not have commercial breaks.
NBCUniversal hopes that the light-touch approach will make people more likely to watch the ads. And since Peacock collects more data on who is watching which ads on which shows, NBCUniversal’s advertising group expects to get advertisers to pay more to reach targeted audiences.
Does Peacock Have Any Paid Add-Ons?
No, there are no “upgrade” features or premium content add-ons. As long as you choose either the Premium or Premium+ monthly subscription plans, you get full access to all of the content and features on Peacock.
People choosing the free-to-watch service will find a limited selection of TV shows and movies. Peacock has not disclosed whether the free-to-watch service will be defeatured as well.
Does Peacock Have Extra Hidden Fees?
Even though Peacock is ultimately owned by a cable company, you won’t find any hidden fees. The $5 or $10 subscription plan is all that Peacock costs.
You can cancel a paid Peacock subscription at any time without having to pay a cancellation fee. However, you won’t be refunded any unused time. Instead, you’ll keep your access to Peacock through the end of the current month.
Does Peacock Offer a Free Trial for New Users?
When Peacock launches nationally in mid-July, new users will be able to try Peacock Premium or Peacock Premium+ for seven days without paying a fee. Of course, the free option will always be available.
Xfinity broadband customers already get Peacock Premium free of charge, but they can see what the ad-free experience is like by getting a seven-day free trial of Peacock Premium+.
