Is Peacock Premium Worth It?

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The streaming wars are hotter than ever, with more streaming services to choose from than there are tail feathers on a peacock. Speaking of colorful birds, Peacock from NBC Universal is a streaming service that often gets left out of the conversation compared to other big streamers.

If you’re new to Peacock, you may be wondering how much it costs. While the base service is completely free to stream, a Peacock Premium subscription unlocks the full streaming library and includes some other perks as well. We’re breaking down the pros and cons of a Peacock Premium subscription and answering once and for all if the streaming service is worth your money.

What is Peacock Premium?

Peacock Premium is one of the paid tiers of the Peacock TV streaming service. There are three tiers in total: Peacock Basic, Peacock Premium, and Peacock Premium Plus. Here’s a quick breakdown of the prices and perks for each of these tiers.

Peacock (Free)

The basic tier is free to stream on supported devices after making a free account.

• Thousands of Hours of Movies & TV
• Channels Only On Peacock
• Daily News, Sports & Pop Culture
• Kids Shows & Movies
• Telemundo Spanish-Language Series

Peacock Premium ($5.99/month, $59.99/year)

Premium tier includes everything from the basic plan, plus unrestricted access to the full Peacock content library and these additional perks:

• Live Sports including Premier League
• Live Events Including WWE
• Exclusive Peacock Original Series
• Next-day Access to Current NBC hits
• Stream Content from NBC Networks, including Bravo, USA Network, CBS, Showtime and more
• Even More Megahit Movies & TV
• Full Access to Kids Shows & Movies

Peacock Premium Plus, without ads ($11.99/month, $119.99/year)

This is the premier tier when it comes to Peacock and includes everything from the previous tiers, plus these perks:

• Stream Peacock ad-free
• Watch select titles offline on mobile

Peacock Premium Plus is obviously the most expensive tier, but the lack of ads may make it an attractive choice for viewers who find ads annoying when binging shows. However, a solid ad-blocker could help those with a Peacock Premium subscription get by without taking too many breaks during their viewing sessions.

Being able to watch shows offline is also a bonus when you’re traveling or in a remote area with no internet access.

Where Can You Watch Peacock TV?

In addition to the browser site and mobile apps for Android and iOS, you can stream Peacock Premium on these platforms:

• Apple TV
• Chromecast
• Android TV
• Amazon Fire TV Stick (and associated devices)
• Roku
• Xbox One
• Xbox Series X/S
• PlayStation 4/5
• Vizio SmartCast TV
• LG Smart TV

You can read the full list of compatible devices here.

What Can You Watch on Peacock Premium?

Peacock Premium has an absolutely massive library of content, including a ton of NBC hits and new original series. The service also includes tons of movie titles, sports programming, special live events, and real time news coverage. You can also browse through a solid selection of Spanish language titles as well.
While a basic Peacock subscription will technically give you access to hit shows like The Office, most episodes are not available to stream free. A premium subscription unlocks the full catalog of Peacock content, including every single episode of every series on the platform.
Here’s a quick sample of popular shows that are available to stream on Peacock Premium:

• The Office
• Rutherford Falls (Peacock Original)
• House
• Superstore
• 30 Rock
• Yellowstone
• Kenan
• The Voice
• Parks and Recreation
• The Blacklist
• The Real Housewives series and The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip from Bravo
• Suits
• Law & Order: SVU
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine
• Chicago P.D.
• Weeds
• Downton Abbey
• Live Olympics coverage

Peacock is also experimenting with day and date releases, meaning certain movies will premiere on Peacock Premium the same day they are released in theaters. Halloween Kills was the biggest day and date for the service so far, but it’s looking like these types of releases will become more and more common on the platform.

Can I Watch Live Sports on Peacock?

Yes! When compared to other streamers, one thing that stands out is Peacock’s live events, including major sports like Premier League soccer matches, NFL Sunday Night Football, PGA golf and WWE events at no additional cost. This is one of the bigger perks for a service like this, as comparable services can charge an arm and a leg to watch live sporting events.

Does Peacock Premium Play Ads?

Yes. Unfortunately, Peacock Premium does come with ads, but you can eliminate ads completely with a Peacock Premium Plus subscription. That’s an extra $6 a month, but worth it for someone who likes to binge their content uninterrupted. Peacock does note that even with Peacock Premium Plus, select shows and events may still have some ads.

Alternatively, if you’re viewing from a browser, then you can always download an ad-blocking software. That way you can save a few bucks a month while still enjoying an ad-free viewing experience.

Is Peacock Premium Included in My Cable Plan?

Spectrum customers may qualify for a free year of Peacock Premium if you’re a Spectrum TV customer, or 90 days if you’re an Internet-only customer. The offer is only available for a limited time.

Unfortunately, Peacock Premium is no longer included for free for Xfinity X1 and Flex customers, but select Xfinity subscribers may qualify for Peacock Premium.

What’s the Difference Between Free vs. Premium?

There are quite a few differences between the free and premium versions of Peacock. The biggest difference is the amount of content available, as the free tier is extremely limited. Sure, you may be able to watch a few episodes of your favorite shows for free, but the vast majority of content is locked behind the Peacock Premium paywall.

With Premium, you also get access to live events, exclusive Peacock originals and next-day streaming for new TV episodes. This is a lot for the $5.99 price tag, making Peacock one of the more affordable streamers on the market.

Does Peacock Premium Have a Free Trial?

Both Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus used to offer 7-day free trials for new subscribers, but sadly those options have expired. You can still watch Peacock for free with the basic tier, but the only way to unlock the entire Peacock library is to subscribe to Peacock Premium or Peacock Premium Plus.

How Do You Sign Up for Peacock?

Like most streaming services, signing up is fairly simple. To watch the free version of Peacock, all you need to do is go to the website and create a free account (no credit card is required). After that, you’ll be able to stream tons of content instantly.

If you’re looking to purchase the Premium or Premium Plus tier, all you have to do is create an account, select your preferred tier, and fill out the payment information. After that, you’ll get unrestricted access to the entire Peacock library.

Final Verdict: Is Peacock Premium Worth It?

Peacock Premium is absolutely worth it. For less than $6 a month, Peacock is one of the most affordable streaming services on the market right now, and you get a lot of bang for your buck due to its extensive content library. Even if you only stream 5 hours worth of content every week, that only comes out to 30 cents an hour.

If you’re a fan of sitcoms, live sports, hit movies, dramatic series and daily news, you can’t go wrong with Peacock Premium. All of that, plus day and date movies, special events, and the sheer volume of classic shows and movies on the service definitely make it worth the $5.99 price tag. Things start to look even better if you’re able to use an ad-blocker and avoid paying an extra $6 to skip the ads. If you’ve got $6 to spare, try Peacock Premium for a month and see for yourself if the service lives up to the hype.

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