Everything You Need to Know About Peacock

NBCUniversal will soon join the TV streaming race with Peacock, set to launch in April 2020 for Xfinity X1 and Flex subscribers. The new streaming service will make its national debut in July, boasting 15,000+ hours of content.

Besides an assortment of originals, the NBC Peacock content library will include popular movies, unscripted programming, and well-loved classics. Viewers will have access to timeless titles like “30 Rock,” “Cheers,” “Psych,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The Office,” and “Will & Grace.”

To stand out in an already-crowded landscape, NBC Peacock will offer a free streaming plan with the option to upgrade. This move mirrors that of the leading music streaming service, Spotify, and could differentiate the platform from rivals like Amazon Prime Video, CBS All Access, and Netflix.

Key Details NBC Peacock Has Already Announced

With the clock winding down on when the Peacock streaming service will be launched, NBC has released a few exciting features. There will be multiple service plans, a wide range of content, and options to bundle services. Here’s what we know about the soon-to-be released service right now:

• Price – Peacock will allow viewers to watch over 7,500 hours of programming for free, with the main catch being a slightly more limited content library. This sets the NBC streaming service apart in a market where platforms rarely offer free content access. Viewers will have the option to upgrade to Peacock Premium for $5 per month to access a broader selection of content. Even premium access for this NBC streaming service costs less than rivals like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, which both offer plans starting from $9 per month. Both the basic and premium plans are ad-supported, but NBC Peacock will also provide an additional ad-free experience plan for $9.99 per month.
• Bundles – NBCUniversal has announced that Peacock Premium will be available at no extra cost to Comcast and Cox subscribers. (However, it may be gearing up to increase prices to offset those costs.) While the company expects to introduce more official bundles, it hasn’t yet revealed any additional partners.
• Launch date – NBC Peacock will roll out on April 15 only to Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and will be available nationwide on July 15.
• Content houses – Peacock has indicated that it will source movies and shows from a diverse range of entertainment houses. Besides programming from NBC and its subsidiaries like Universal Pictures, the service will also include content from DreamWorks Animation, Paramount Network, and Wolf Entertainment.

NBC Peacock Device Compatibility

Although NBCUniversal hasn’t released an official list of compatible devices, it has announced that Peacock will be available across several popular connected-TV, mobile, and web devices. So we’ll likely see a device compatibility list similar to that offered by most streaming services.

Potential Peacock Compatible Devices

• PCs and laptops
• Smart TVs
• Smartphones and tablets
• Streaming players
• Game consoles

NBC Peacock Content

With a robust collection of content from NBC and Universal Pictures, Peacock’s offerings should be nothing short of spectacular. The NBC streaming service will provide viewers with over 600 movies and 400 TV shows. Subscribers will also have access to live and on-demand programming from a diverse range of categories, including late night, news, reality, and sports.

Here’s what to expect from the extensive NBC Peacock content library.

Popular movies

Peacock will feature a broad slate of popular movies and box-office hits from Focus Features and Universal Pictures. Standout titles include critically-acclaimed films like “A Beautiful Mind,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” and “Erin Brockovich.” Viewers will also have access to well-loved classics like “Back to the Future,” “E.T,” “Jaws,” and “The Breakfast Club.”

To top it off, NBCUniversal has announced that Universal Pictures will use Peacock to debut its premium, under-construction content. This includes original films and animated series from prominent names in the industry.

Classic shows

Besides having exclusive streaming rights to beloved NBC sitcoms like “Parks and Recreation” and “The Office,” Peacock will also become home to other popular NBC shows and classic TV series. This includes “Downton Abbey,” “Frasier,” “House,” and “Monk,” to name a few.

But among major NBC classics, we won’t be seeing “Seinfeld” in Peacock’s content line-up as Netflix acquired global streaming rights to the show in 2019. The iconic NBC show “Friends” will no longer stream on Netflix in 2020, but it won’t be available on Peacock either. HBO Max will serve as the show’s exclusive streaming home.

Peacock originals

To compete with existing and upcoming services, NBCUniversal will also provide viewers with a bunch of original content exclusively available to Peacock Premium subscribers. This will include a reboot of the popular ’90s show “Saved by the Bell” and the “Psych” movie spinoff, “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home.”

Dramas like “Angelyne,” “Battlestar Galactica,” and “Dr. Death” are also set to further elevate the original content line-up. Some of the newly-announced Peacock originals include “Girls5Eva,” a Tina Fey-produced series, and “Intelligence,” starring David Schwimmer.

Peacock will also have exclusive short-form content produced by Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud network. This includes “Hart to Heart,” an original interview series along with a stand-up comedy special from Kevin Hart. In addition, we should expect to see Peacock-exclusive original animated content from DreamWorks Animation, although NBCUniversal hasn’t announced any titles yet.

Late Night Early

Starting July 2020, Peacock will provide Premium subscribers with exclusive early access to acclaimed late-night shows from NBC. Peacock Premium will stream “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” at 8 p.m. ET and follow up with “Late Night with Seth Meyers” at 9 p.m. ET.

Unscripted programming

A fantastic array of unscripted programming gives viewers yet another reason to look forward to Peacock’s launch. The streaming service will feature a new “Saturday Night Live” docuseries, Lorne Michaels’ “Who Wrote That,” and Jimmy Fallon’s original talk show series. Its unscripted programming line-up also includes a spinoff of “The Real Housewives” and a weekly show staring Amber Ruffin.

News

Live breaking news coverage will also set Peacock apart from other major streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. Peacock viewers will have access to content from across the NBC News portfolio through the newly-launched online news streaming network, NBC News NOW. This includes original videos from “Today,” “Meet the Press with Chuck Todd,” and “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.”

Spanish language

Peacock will also offer an extensive collection of Spanish language content from Telemundo – the No. 1 Spanish-language network in the U.S. and another NBCUniversal subsidiary. The service will feature 3,000-plus hours of content from Telemundo, including popular titles like “100 Dias Para Volver,” “El Barón,” and “Preso No. 1.”

Viewers will also have access to the anticipated original dramedy “Armas de Mujer,” a new series from the team responsible for “La Reina del Sur.”

Sports

To further add to its eclectic content mix, Peacock Premium will also bring NBC Sports programming to its viewers. The platform will duplicate some of the offerings from NBC Sports Gold – the network’s premium sports subscription service. Peacock Premium subscribers will have access to non-televised soccer matches from the Premier League and extended Ryder Cup coverage.

Plus, the platform will give viewers a front-row seat to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with live coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies even before they air on NBC in primetime.

Peacock Premium won’t share all the NBC Sports Gold features like on-demand replays. But it offers a pocket-friendly alternative to Gold packages, which typically range between $20 and $100 per year depending on what sports you want to watch.

The Bottom Line

With exclusive originals for premium subscribers and free access to a generous amount of content, NBC Peacock looks promising. Once it makes its national debut in July, it could easily rival major streaming services, especially with the market’s lack of free content.

The platform will become home to some of NBC’s classic movies and shows, though “Friends” and “Seinfeld” won’t grace its line-up. Fans of these two shows might want to look at HBO Max and Netflix instead. Still, $5 is still a low price to pay for access to Peacock’s diverse content collection, which even includes sports programming and news coverage.