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Transmission wars have escalated with the launch of Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, which will launch on July 15. Peacock joins legacy streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, along with new entrants like HBO Max and Disney + in a bid for his time. We’ve broken down everything you need to know about the service, including our verdict on whether or not you should subscribe.
How does the peacock work?
Peacock is unique among its competition because it is launching with a free tier that includes access to a smaller library. This is also not a promotion – you can subscribe to Peacock when it launches and never have to pay a dime.
Peacock Premium, the paid version of this service costs $ 4.99 per month, or $ 49.99 per year, and gives you access to a larger library of shows and movies, plus original series and daily updates on news, sports and pop culture. A ad free Peacock Premium subscription costs $ 9.99 per month, or $ 99.99 per year, though NBC says Some Peacock channels, events, TV shows, and movies must have ads due to broadcast rights.
If you subscribe to Peacock Premium on or before July 14, you can get your first year for $ 29.99 or $ 79.99 depending on your plan. That’s a 40% discount, and it makes the regular subscription of Peacock Premium a relative bargain. Comcast Xfinity and Xfinity X1 subscribers who also have an Xfinity Internet, Digital Starter or equivalent package get access to Peacock Premium for free.
You can sign up for a Peacock Premium subscription on the NBCUniversal website, in the Peacock app on your iOS or Android device, or by downloading a digital channel on certain streaming hardware. Peacock will be available the first day on Apple TV, Vizio Smartcast TV, LG Smart TV, Chromecast and AndroidTV devices. The service won’t launch on Roku or Fire TV, but you can get to those platforms after launch.
What shows are there in Peacock?
Although Peacock is a new streaming service, it is being launched by NBCUniversal, a media company that has been in the television business since 1933. If you subscribe to Peacock’s free tier, you will be able to watch TV shows like Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, The Office, Everybody Loves Raymond, Monk, Cheers, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Battlestar Galactica, Downton Abbey, Chicago Fire, and more. NBCUniversal says that free subscribers will have access to more than 7,500 hours of video content.
The company says Peacock Premium subscribers will have “even more to see,” including staples like Saturday Night Live, The King of Queens, Late Night With Seth Myers, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, House and Bite Club. Premium subscribers will also be able to watch episodes of current shows the day after they air, and more seasons of some TV shows.
Peacock Premium is also the only way to watch original television series like Brave New World based on Aldous Huxley’s classic novel, and Intelligence, a new comedy series written by Nick Mohammed and co-starring David Schwimmer. NBC Classic Universal Shows Punk brewster and Saved by the Bell It will also return as Peacock Originals. In total, NBCUniversal says that Peacock Premium subscribers can stream more than 15,000 hours of content.
What movies are there in Peacock?
Television shows are Peacock’s big draw, but subscribers can also stream many movies. NBCUniversal said Peacock will be home to upcoming movies like Fast and furious 9 and Jurrasic World 3 in addition to a later catalog containing Back to the Future, Jaws, Mamma Mia, ET, Meet The Parents, Bridesmaids, Casino, Shrek, Shark Tale, and Brokeback Montana.
What sports are there in the peacock?
NBCUniveral reached an agreement to have exclusive broadcasting rights for Premier League soccer matches. The Premier League is an English football confederation made up of 20 clubs, and Peacock Premium subscribers will be able to stream more than 175 games from the 2020-2021 season. If you can’t watch your favorite team’s game live, you’ll have access to a full replay once the game is over. Still, if you’re looking for live sports, it’s best to sign up for something like fuboTV, which offers dozens of sports channels even with its most basic subscription (get a free 7-day trial for fuboTV here).
What else should you know
Because NBCUniversal owns the rights to shows like The office, it is much less likely that they will disappear from this service or reappear in a competitor. NBCUniversal always has the option to license its franchises, but for now you should consider them exclusive to Peacock.
Additional movies and television shows can be added from NBCUniversal libraries or through agreements with other studios. For example, the company reached an agreement with ViacomCBS earlier this month to license television shows and movies like Everyone hates Chris, true Hollywood husbands, American beauty, fatal attraction, the Godfather, and An officer and a knight, among others.
This shows NBCUniversal’s commitment to collect license fees to make Peacock an even better value. Keep in mind that movies and TV shows from non-NBCUniversal companies are much more likely to come and go over time.
Does Peacock offer 4K streaming?
The highest resolution currently available on any streaming service is 4K (ultra high definition), which is twice 1080P (Full HD). High Dynamic Range is a new video technology that makes colors and shadows more accurate. Both 4K video streaming and HDR video streaming are restricted to those with a Peacock Premium subscription.
Keep this in mind: To stream in 4K HDR you need a TV that supports those features, an internet connection fast enough to stream video files of that size, and the content you’re watching must be available in that resolution with HDR. If everything lines up, you’ll notice a substantial difference, but free Peacock subscribers may not miss out on much.
The bottom line
The verdict has yet to be determined if the exclusive Peacock series will work, but it’s hard to deny the appeal of its free tier. You have access to some of the most critically acclaimed TV shows and movies of the past century, albeit with the caveat of having to watch ads and the video quality is limited to HD.
Subscribing to Peacock Premium takes a bit of a leap of faith, but if you take advantage of NBCUniversal’s launch price (again, $ 49.99 a year for Peacock Premium, $ 79.99 a year for Ad-Free Peacock Premium) it’s cheaper than HBO Max, Hulu or Netflix. If you’ve been mourning the loss of Netflix from The officeAnd we’re willing to give your original programming a try, it’s worth subscribing to NBCUniversal’s Peacock Premium.
