Peacock Streaming Service Launches Today with Free, Premium Tiers

Photo: NBC

by Julian Spivey
With another month comes yet another streaming service debut and despite the fact that some streaming service fatigue seems to be setting in for many there are certainly some things about the new service Peacock (I know terrible name, but it is the longtime logo of parent company NBC) that many will enjoy.
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Peacock launches today (Wednesday, July 15) with 20,000 hours or programming and the best part about it is about two-thirds of that programming is absolutely free. Free is almost unheard of in the streaming world, but if you’re OK sitting through ads for a few minutes per episode (you know, like we all used to have to before the advent of DVRs and pay streaming services) it’ll likely be worth not having to add another service to your pile of bills.

If you just absolutely can’t do commercials there, of course, is a paid tier which will allow you to avoid the ads. That tier is $9.99 per month and will also feature that other one-third of programming mentioned above, which will mostly consist of originals that won’t be found anywhere else. If you don’t mind ads and still want all the content Peacock offers there is a middle tier that’s $4.99. Both the paid tiers are noticeably cheaper than competition like Netflix ($12.99 per month) and HBO Max ($14.99 per month).

What are some of the other differences between the tiers?

Both the free and premium tiers will feature current-season episodes from NBC’s televised series like “This Is Us,” “The Blacklist,” “Superstore” and anything else you watch on the network. The only difference will be when you receive these episodes. If you’re using the free service, you’ll get the newest episodes one week after they air on NBC, if you’re a paying customer you’ll have access to the episode the next day.

The biggest draw to Peacock won’t be coming to the service until January of 2021, but next year it’ll be the new streaming home of “The Office,” after its current streaming deal on Netflix runs out at the end of the year. “The Office” as well as other classic NBC sitcoms like “30 Rock,” “Parks & Recreation” and terrific drama series like “Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood” and more will be available on the free tier. Non-NBC original shows like “Battlestar Galactica,” “Monk” and “Downton Abbey” will also be available.

Some of the shows that will be available on the premium tiers are “Yellowstone,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Cheers,” “Frasier” and “Law & Order.”

Shows that will be coming to Peacock sometime in the near future include “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Bates Motel,” “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago P.D.,” “Chicago Med,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “Roseanne,” “The Mindy Project,” “Will & Grace” and a lot more.

Unlike most streaming services Peacock will include sporting events as part of its programming. The free tier will feature U.S. Open golf starting with this year’s tournament, an NFL Wild Card Playoff game in January and future Summer and Winter Olympic events. Peacock was set to launch in time for this year’s Tokyo Summer Olympics, but those games have been postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The premium tier of Peacock will feature 175 Premiere League soccer matches, which is reportedly the most English soccer ever available to U.S. viewers.

Among the Peacock Originals that will be available on the premium tier are “Brave New World,” based on Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel, which will star Demi Moore, the conspiracy thriller “The Capture” starring Ron Perlman, a workplace comedy “Intelligence” starring David Schwimmer and a reboot of the ‘90s high school sitcom “Saved by the Bell.”

Like most streaming services Peacock will be adding in a mixture of films to go along with its television programming. The premium tier will feature more films than the free tier. According to Variety, films appearing on Peacock include “Do the Right Thing,” “Jurassic Park,” “The Matrix,” “Psycho” and many more.

Movies that will be coming to Peacock in the near future include: “A Beautiful Mind,” “American Beauty,” “Back to the Future,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Fields of Dreams,” “The Godfather,” “Jaws,” “Schindler’s List” and much more.

How can you watch Peacock?

Peacock’s streaming app will be available at launch on Apple and Google devices, Xbox and on Vizio and LG Smart TVs. It was just announced on Tuesday, July 14 that Peacock will be ready for streaming on PlayStation on July 20, the week after it launches. As of now there has not been a deal finalized for Peacock with Roku and FireTV, which was one of the biggest complaints viewers had when HBO Max launched in late May, as well. 

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