There is a good chance you have heard about Peacock Premium but have never gotten around to signing up and you may be thinking that now is the right time to see what all the fuss is about, especially with some of those great and exciting original shows like Pete Davidson's Bupkis and a collection of movies that seems to get larger every week.
Below is a quick breakdown of the service, where I will answer questions ranging from “How much does Peacock cost?” to “Hey, can I watch live sports?” to “Wait, there are shows besides The Office?” and "How can I watch the the new SNL hosts and musical guests?" Let’s talk it out…
The Peacock Subscription Plans And Price
There are currently two options when it comes to a subscription - Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus. There was a Peacock Free option up until early February 2023, at which point Peacock stopped offering the tier to new customers in favor of focusing on increasing and improving its offerings. Here's how pricing shakes out as of May 2023.
Peacock Premium
Then there is Peacock Premium, which costs $4.99 per month and gives you access to the everything the streaming service has to offer. This includes all those Peacock originals and the massive library of great movies and shows. You can also watch NBC hit series the day after they air on traditional TV. It should be noted that there are ads during a lot of the shows but not as bad as the recently discontinued free model.
Peacock Premium Plus
And then there is Peacock Premium Plus, which costs $9.99 per month and gives you everything the Premium model offers but without all the ads. You will still have to deal with ads when you’re watching live sports, the new live feed of select NBC affiliates, and select titles (due to streaming rights), but this is rarely a problem in my experience. You can also download certain movies and shows for offline viewing on your mobile device.
Sign up for Peacock. (opens in new tab)
The Peacock Streaming Library Has Tons Of Beloved TV Shows
Want to watch the later seasons of Law & Order while you wait for the return of the crime drama, catch up with the Dutton family by watching Yellowstone streaming, or check out classic comedy series like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Community (which is slated to have its own movie in the near future). Well, Peacock is the way to go. You will need a Peacock Premium subscription to take in all of these shows, but once you do sign up, you’ll have thousands of hours of some of best shows from the NBCUniversal family of channels at your fingertips.
Another cool thing is how Peacock will group together the various Law & Order franchises as well as the One Chicago shows in collections, making it even easier to catch up on everything you have missed.
There Is Also A Massive Collection Of Movies
Like any streaming service, Peacock comes loaded with an assortment of movies from just about every genre and film era imaginable. In the past, Peacock has offered subscribers the entire Harry Potter franchise and other sets of favorite-movies. And even though titles will come and go throughout the course of the year, there is always something that will take the place of The Karate Kid franchise when the series eventually leaves the service.
In addition to grouping together beloved franchises, Peacock also has actor collections that will bring you to a hub where you’ll find every Will Smith, Ryan Reynolds, and Jennifer Aniston movie currently available on the platform, which is honestly something we should see more of in today’s streaming world.
Peacock Has Great Original TV Shows, Movies And Documentaries
Classic movies and TV shows are great and all, but with the way titles shuffle from one streaming service to the next, a platform needs to have great originals if it wants to attract new subscribers and keep current members around. Luckily, Peacock has an entire collection of great original TV shows, movies, and even documentaries, like the service’s true crime collection. With new shows like True Story with Ed and Randall, Wolf Like Me, Dr. Death, and A Friend of the Family, there’s plenty to keep you happy, even when your favorite movies eventually disappear.
Peacock Is Home To The WWE Network
In January 2021, it was announced that the WWE Network was coming to Peacock, effectively giving every Peacock subscriber access to thousands of hours of wrestling content including classic shows and live events each month. And while the service is a mixed bag, the fact that it doesn’t cost you anything besides a Peacock Premium subscription more than makes up for it.
So if you want to relive the craziest moments from the Royal Rumble or check out some of the most electrifying WrestleMania main event matches, WWE Network on Peacock is the way to go. Plus, there are a ton of great wrestling documentaries to sink your teeth into as well. And since the platform is the exclusive home (at least in the states) of the wrestling promotion, it's the only place you can watch any of the upcoming WWE events.
Live Sporting Events Like The NFL, MLB And Olympics
At any given time you can watch rugby, golf, motocross, English Premier League, and MLB on Peacock. On top of that, you can check out a large assortment of daily and weekly shows from NBC Sports, including The Dan Patrick Show, The Rich Eisen Show, and so much more. And don’t even get me started on the sports documentaries offered by Peacock.
Peacock Is Available On Most Modern Streaming Devices
Like mosts streaming services, you can watch Peacock on a number of different devices. This includes all the major web browsers, Android and iOS phones and tablets, popular streaming boxes, and all modern PlayStation and XBOX consoles. The platform is also compatible with various smart TVs.
I have personally tested Peacock on my Samsung and LG smart TVs, PlayStation 5, Roku, Tivo Stream, Chrome and Safari browsers, and iPhone 12, and there aren’t any issues to report. If only this were the case for other streaming services out there.
Check out the full list of Peacock compatible devices. (opens in new tab)
Hopefully all of this helps make sense of Peacock, its various subscription options, and everything that comes along with them. And if you end up subscribing to the service, take a look at the 2023 TV schedule to see what you can expect to watch in the coming weeks and months.
