How To Get Peacock For Free; NBC’s Streaming Service Has Multiple Tiers

NBC is joining the streaming wars this week with Peacock. The new streaming platform launches Wednesday, and it works a little differently than other big sites. It has a free option.

Users just have to go to PeacockTV.com to check out the new platform. Peacock actually has a free subscription that allows users to watch “movies, classic and current shows, channels available only on Peacock, kids shows and movies, news, and more.” Of course, viewers utilizing the free plan will see ads, and they won't have access to certain titles.

Those who want to watch Peacock’s original series, such as “Brave New World,” or sports, including Premier League soccer matches, will need an upgrade to Peacock Premium.

Subscriptions to Peacock Premium typically start at $49.99 per year, but users will still see ads. Those who don’t want to see commercials can opt into the Premium Ad-Free for $99.99 per year. Ahead of Peacock’s release, Premium is available for a discount at $29.99 while Premium Ad-Free is on sale at $79.99 through July 14. Alternatively, users can pay monthly at $4.99 a month for Premium and $9.99 a month for Ad-Free.

Despite being twice the price, Premium Ad-Free isn’t always ad-free. “Due to streaming rights, Peacock channels, events and a few shows and movies will still contain ads,” the Peacock site notes.

However, Comcast Xfinity customers shouldn’t pay for a subscription yet. The cable provider is offering customers free early access to Peacock. They can watch with X1 or a Flex 4K device. It is available to all Xfinity Flex customers and Xfinity X1 customers who subscribe to Xfinity Internet or Digital Starter TV. Find out more here.

As far as where to watch Peacock besides directly on the website, it seems like most mainstream devices are carrying the platform, including devices from Apple (including Apple TV), Google (including Chromecast) and Microsoft’s Xbox One. VIZIO SmartCast TVs and LG Smart TVs as well as Sony PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro will also feature the service.

Peacock will include more than 20,000 hours of content at launch, including fan-favorite series like “Cheers,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Monk” and “Downton Abbey.” Modern NBC hits, such as “Chicago Fire” and “Law & Order: SVU,” will be streaming alongside movies like “The Godfather,” “Shrek” and “The Matrix.” Current shows on the network will have new episodes available the day after they air.

As with all new streaming services, Peacock has plenty of original TV shows and movies lined up. On July 15, the platform will launch with the premieres of “Brave New World” (starring Demi Moore), new episodes of “Curious George,” the sequel “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home,” the David Schwimmer-led British comedy “Intelligence,” and sports doc “In Depth With Ryan Lochte.” Reboots of "Saved by the Bell" and "Punky Brewster" are also in the works for the future.

Users will also get daily content from news shows like “NBC Nightly News,” “Meet the Press,” “Noticias Telemundo,” “E! News” and “Access Hollywood.” Additionally, “TODAY” fans can tune in to TODAY All Day, the show's new 24/7 streaming service, on Peacock.

Missing from the offerings are two of NBC’s most successful comedies. “Friends” is exclusive to HBO Max while “The Office” will be on Netflix until the end of the year. However, the Steve Carell-led sitcom will join Peacock in 2021.