And while that free tier is a nice perk, it allows you to try out both the greats from the catalog like the Bourne Trilogy and Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica series, as well as originals like the ambitious science fiction series Brave New World (starring Solo: A Star Wars. Story’s Alden Ehrenreich), there are a few missteps that a company the size of NBCUniversal (as part of Comcast) should have tackled before opening to the public. Peacock’s lack of support for 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos, in addition to not allowing it to download shows and movies to watch offline, a feature Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have provided for years and is available on Disney + and HBO Max, is inexcusable. There’s also the issue with accessibility, as Peacock is only available in the US at launch and, like HBO Max, it currently doesn’t support the popular Amazon Fire TV and Roku streaming boxes.However, Peacock does offer a solid streaming platform populated with a diverse selection of notable movies and shows to choose from. Especially compared to CBS All Access’s Star Trek heavy approach and Quibi’s lackluster line for mobile viewing, it’s not on the lower tier of services. To learn more about what we think of the Peacock streaming platform, read on for a more detailed description of its movies and shows, user interface, and pricing compared to other providers.
Peacock TV shows and movies
Photo courtesy of Peacock.
Peacock has an impressive catalog of movies and television series at launch, with content from notable studios including Syfy, Universal Pictures, Dreamworks, Blumhouse, and many more. There’s plenty here for people of all ages and gender preferences. On the film front, Peacock is home to highly successful franchises like the original Jurassic Park trilogy, the Matrix trilogy, and the Bourne trilogy. While there are a few notable absences, like having just one of the nine Fast & Furious movies and none of the Jurassic World movies, there is a satisfying amount of quality stuff, especially for free.
One of the oddities you can see when browsing through the thousands of hours of movies and shows is a timer in the upper left of the screen. The 1993 Jurassic Park seminar, for example (at the time of this writing), has a “15 days to watch” countdown just below the movie description. The reason for this is due to NBCUniversal’s licensing agreements with other providers, and unraveling them can make your head explode. IGN has learned from someone close to the situation that shows and movies coming out of Peacock can return at a later date. While this is a bit frustrating when you consider that Universal owns the rights to these titles, other streaming providers like HBO Max and Disney + have had similar licensing issues.
Watch Jurassic Park before it’s too late!
The Peacock Television Library is where the service shines by providing eager viewers with a myriad of programming, including classics like Saved by the Bell and Heroes, to newer favorites like Parks and Rec and Superstore, all for free. You will also be able to watch new episodes of shows like Blacklist and This is Us a week after they air, unless you opt for one of the paid levels, in which case you can watch it right away. Like CBS All Access, Peacock also offers some free live TV channels, including NBC News Now and Sky News.
Another area that Peacock has an advantage over its competitors is sports. If you’re a Premier League football fan, you’ll be happy to know that this will be home to 175 exclusive matches for the 2020-2021 season. Other notable opportunities to watch sports include the NFL, the US Open Championship and Triple Crown horse racing. Peacock has also tapped into the popular sports documentary market (which is currently dominated by ESPN’s 30-by-30 banner and Netflix’s growing resume of memorable movies focused on the sports world). Peacock may have a long way to go before catching up, but his starting batch includes In Deep with Ryan Lochte and Lost Speedways, which are a sign that he’s headed in the right direction.
In addition to its vast library of existing movies and television shows, Peacock has also developed some of its own originals. At launch, the platform features nine shows covering a wide range of tastes, from intriguing crime thrillers like The Capture to kid-friendly series like Curious George and Where’s Waldo. Be sure to check out our reviews of the Peacock originals, but in summary, here are more good things than bad. In our reviews, we praise Brave New World as “an exciting and engaging journey that hides surprising depth beneath its glossy surface”, and we called In Deep with Ryan Lochte “a compelling and helpless story.” The only failure in this opening batch is David Schwimmer’s workplace comedy, Intelligence, which we criticize for “its reliance on overused clichés about cultural differences between tense Britons and overconfident Yankees.”
Peacock User Interface
Photo courtesy of Peacock.
For now, one would think that recently launched streaming providers like HBO Max and Peacock, which are backed by multi-billion dollar companies like AT&T and Comcast, respectively, would have all the tweaks and fixes necessary to stand out in this competitive landscape … but apparently no! Sure, the Peacock website and app layouts are pretty enough, but when it comes to key features like 4K, HDR, Dolby Atmos audio, and the ability to download movies and shows to watch offline, the features are very Deficient for the launch of a platform in 2020 (A source close to the situation informed IGN that both the 4K and offline viewing options are in process, although there was no deadline for its implementation).
Peacock also suffers from a lack of cured carousels that would help find what he wanted to see more easily. Where HBO Max was good enough to split its offerings through tiles associated with the various networks and studios under the WarnerMedia umbrella, Peacock only has things like “Free Laughs”, “Your Reality Check is Covered” and “Classics timeless “to break down your library into categories. Search options are also limited, and unless you know the exact name of a particular movie you’re looking for, Peacock doesn’t give you the option to search by director or actor.
Another thing to consider before subscribing to Peacock is the lack of HDMI support for external monitors. Steam released a statement via its Twitter page saying: “HDMI connectivity is not supported at this time. Users will not be able to view it through an external monitor connection. They will have to use their PC, mobile device or one from our other compatible devices directly devices. ” Hopefully Peacock will offer a more robust interface with tiles that read Paramount, Universal Pictures and Syfy instead of this current design.
Peacock price
Photo courtesy of Peacock.
In terms of cost, Peacock has one of the best values compared to the competition. The fact that you can watch 13,000 hours of TV shows and movies completely free without having to put in your credit card information and expect it to remember to cancel before the trial runs out is incredible. And if you decide to subscribe, the $ 4.99 ad offer isn’t too bad, considering you get live sports, news, current NBC series, and a huge library of movies to watch. While Netflix doesn’t have any ads, its lowest level starts at $ 8.99, and HBO Max has a single price level at $ 14.99. Disney + is a good deal for ad-free content at $ 6.99, however, in terms of programming, Peacock offers a more diverse lineup that includes children’s titles and a more mature fair for adults. Peacock definitely has a long way to go in terms of its features before catching up with Amazon and Netflix, however its attractive free tier is a great strategy to encourage people to give the service a try.