#How to stream Peacock

Here’s how to stream Peacock—including on Roku, the latest development in Peacock’s evolution.

• Peacock is the new streaming service from NBCUniversal.
• You can find NBC shows and sports programming as well as Universal movies on Peacock.
• It’s similar to HBO Max, Disney Plus, and CBS All Access, with shows, movies, and even original programming under one corporate umbrella.
• The service launched July 15, 2020.
• It includes a free plan that includes some of its content, a $4.99 per month (or $49.99 per year) Peacock Premium plan, and a Premium Ad-Free option for $9.99 per month (or $99.99 per year)—though that comes with a big asterisk.
• If you’re looking to stream Premier League matches, Peacock Premium gives you access.
• There’s a seven-day free trial available for new users.

Here’s everything you need to know about Peacock before you sign up.

• How much is Peacock?
• What’s on Peacock? (Shows, Movies, and Sports)
• Peacock Originals
• Streaming devices
• Downloads and multiple screens
• Peacock vs. The Competition
• Is Peacock worth it?
• How to sign up for Peacock

 

 

How much does Peacock cost?

Depending on the kind of experience you want, there are three tiers of Peacock buy-in.

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There’s a free tier that, according to the site, “will include movies, classic and current shows, channels available only on Peacock, kids shows and movies, news, and more.” It includes next-day access to current shows airing on NBC and affiliated channels—all in all, the free tier will offer about 7500 hours of content.

To access everything Peacock offers, about 15,000 hours of content in all, it’ll cost you. Specifically, it’s $4.99 per month or $49.99 for the yearly Peacock Premium plan.

Then, there’s a $5 per month or $50 annual ad-free option on top of that, making it $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.

There’s another catch, too—the Peacock “without ads” option isn’t entirely without ads. As the fine print on the website notes, “Due to streaming rights, Peacock channels, events, and a few shows and movies will still contain ads.” While the difference between the two options isn’t priced much differently than Hulu, it’s yet to be seen how much ads will intrude on a version of the service that’s supposed to eliminate ads.

 

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What’s on Peacock?

Right now, the website’s teasing some of the series that will appear, which includes the likes of 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live, King of Queens, House, and Yellowstone—in other words, a mix of past successes and current shows.

Shows

According to the Daily Dot’s June preview, the list of shows available on Peacock also includes: A.P. Bio, Bates Motel, Battlestar Galactica, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Cheers, Chrisley Knows Best, Covert Affairs, Downton Abbey, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Friday Night Lights, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, King of Queens, Married… With Children, Monk, Parenthood, Psych, Royal Pains, Superstore, The Real Housewives, Top Chef, and Will & Grace.

One NBC favorite won’t make it there right away. As Peacock’s Twitter account alluded to back in January, The Office is tied up in licensing to Netflix through the end of 2020. Not to worry, though: Jim, Pam, Michael, and Dwight should be pushing paper on Peacock by January 2021.

• Check out the best shows on Peacock

Movies

It’s also touting Universal movies like the Fast & Furious series, Reservoir Dogs, and King Kong. Other movies on the service include: American Pie, Back to the Future, A Beautiful Mind, the Bourne franchise, Bridesmaids, Brokeback Mountain, Casino, Dallas Buyers Club, Do the Right Thing, Erin Brockovich, E.T., Field of Dreams, Jaws, Knocked Up, Mamma Mia!, Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, Shrek, and The Breakfast Club.

• Check out the best movies on Peacock

Sports

NBC’s also touting two of its biggest sports entities—England’s globally-adored Premier League and the pushed-to-2021 Summer Olympic Games—on Peacock.

NBC previously split its Premier League soccer coverage between NBCSN, NBC, and NBC Sports Gold. Peacock was activated during the interrupted 2019-20 season. Now, in the 2020-21 season, the Premium version of the service is essential to catch every Premier League match.

Premier League Matches for Matchweek 2

Here’s how to stream Premier League matches for Matchweek 2 (Sept. 19-21).

Saturday, Sept. 19

7:30am ET

• Everton vs. West Brom (Peacock)

10am ET

• Leeds vs. Fulham (Peacock)

12:30pm ET

• Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace (Peacock)

3pm ET

• Arsenal vs. West Ham (NBCSN)

Sunday, Sept. 20

7am ET

• Southampton vs. Tottenham Hotspur (Peacock)

9am ET

• Newcastle vs. Brighton (Peacock)

11:30am ET

• Chelsea vs. Liverpool (Peacock)

2pm ET

• Leicester vs. Burnley (NBCSN)

Monday, Sept. 21

1pm ET

• Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United (Peacock)

3:15pm ET

• Wolves vs. Manchester City (Peacock)

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There are also documentaries from the Gold Channel and on the Olympics on the platform—perhaps an indication of where other NBC Sports Gold coverage will migrate.

 

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Peacock Originals

While Peacock will be bringing more original programming, this is what they led with out of the gate:

• Brave New World, a sci-fi series based on the classic Aldous Huxley novel, made its way from SyFy to USA Network to Peacock, and it’s ready to stream on Opening Day.

• Peacock also launched The Capture, a thriller exploring the world of deepfakes starring Holliday Grainger (which premiered on BBC One in 2019), and David Schwimmer-led comedy Intelligence (another British import, which debuted on Sky One).

• Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, a full-length movie starring James Roday, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, and Maggie Lawson, debuted as a Peacock Original movie on Opening Day. It picks up where the USA Network series Psych left off.

• Girls5Eva will reunite executive producer Tina Fey with writer and co-executive producer Meredith Scardino (from The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) for this promising comedy. Fey noted, in a Deadline story back in January, “It’s the story of a former ’90s girl group — all of whom have been engaged to Carson Daly — who decide to risk everything and get the band back together. In a way, that is what Peacock is doing — getting the band back together.”

• Battlestar Galactica is also set for another reboot, courtesy of Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail.

• MacGruber, with Will Forte in the title role as well as the show’s executive producer, is the full fleshing out of the recurring Saturday Night Live skit spoofing MacGyver.

• There’s also a double dose of ’80s and ’90s-era NBC nostalgia headed the service’s way. Behold: A Saved By The Bell sequel (with some of the cast members from the original series set to return) and a Punky Brewster reboot with Soleil Moon Frye as a single mom.

Check out the debut Peacock Originals

 

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Streaming devices

Peacock is available through Apple TV and iOS devices, Roku, Google devices including Chromecast, XBox One, and LG and Vizio smart TVs. It actually launched without Amazon Fire and Roku compatibility, similar to HBO Max’s story. But now Roku users can experience the service.

 

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Downloads and multiple screens

Peacock will have a Watchlist feature within the app (or browser screen) allowing users to bookmark shows they want to watch. While it’s not quite a download feature—offline viewing isn’t available yet—it does allow users to flag shows and movies they want to get back to.

Each account has access to up to three screens simultaneously.

 

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Peacock vs. The Competition

CBS All Access vs. Peacock

CBS All Access may be the most analogous service to Peacock on the market today: A network-driven streaming service bolstered by a parent company with additional media holdings. Part of the comparison breaks down to NBC’s core shows vs. CBS’s core shows—if you’re a fan of shows like 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation, you’re obviously going to find Peacock more appealing than if you gravitate toward CBS’s offerings.

One factor going for Peacock, though, is the free option for about half its content. CBS All Access doesn’t offer that currently.

Disney+ vs. Peacock

Disney+ is obviously geared largely toward children’s programming. Thanks to its Star Wars and Marvel holdings, there’s a broader appeal to Disney Plus. It’s a streaming service that does it right. Disney Plus’s movie selection is more generally beloved than what comes out of Universal’s stable. (Though, certainly, franchises like Fast & Furious have their devotees).

A number of Disney+ subscribers do, furthermore, bundle with Hulu and ESPN Plus, and can already access shows like Parks and Rec and 30 Rock on Hulu.

Starz vs. Peacock

Starz has a broad selection of movies and an intriguing collection of original programming, at a price point that rivals Peacock. While NBC has more consistent quality in its shows, the jury’s still out Peacock Originals. As more come out, viewers will be able to judge how they stack up next to Starz’s mix. Peacock does, however, have the free tier with lots of content available.

 

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Is Peacock worth it?

Its free option and next-day accessibility to NBC shows makes it a welcome addition to the growing streaming universe. Seeing it in action in its paid tiers, though, will answer some lingering questions about the user experience. Two that come to mind: How ad-free will the ad-free version truly be? And how will its originals compare to what HBO, Showtime, and even Starz are providing?

 

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How to sign up for Peacock

First, go to the Peacock site and scroll down to the plan picking options. Here’s what you do once you click the link to one of two choices.

1. Enter your new account info.
2. If you chose the Premium option, you’ll be prompted to choose the ad-free version if you wish.
3. Click the box indicating you agree to the terms.
4. Go to the next page and enter your payment info.
5. Click the “Pay Now” button. (Note that unless you get into the “My Account” section to edit, the plan will automatically renew for the next 12-month period at the end of the current one.)

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Premium Streaming Service Guides

Amazon Prime	CrunchyRoll	Acorn TV
CBS All Access	Curiosity Stream	AMC Premiere
Disney Plus	DC Universe	BritBox
HBO Max	Showtime	Shudder
Hulu	Starz	Rooster Teeth
Netflix	Criterion Channel	YouTube Premium
Peacock

Live TV Service Guides

AT&T TV NOW	CBS All Access	Fubo TV
Hulu with Live TV	Philo	Pluto TV
Sling TV	Vidgo	YouTube TV

Entertainment Channel Guides

A&E	AMC	Animal Planet
BBC America	BET	Bravo
Cartoon Network	Comedy Central	Discovery Channel
Disney Channel	Disney XD	E!
Food Network	Freeform	FX
FXX	Hallmark Channel	HGTV
History Channel	IFC	Lifetime
MTV	Nat Geo	Nickelodeon
Nick Jr	Paramount Network	Science Channel
Sundance	SYFY	TBS
TLC	Travel Channel	TruTV
TNT	TV Land	USA
VH1	Willow	The Weather Channel

Streaming Device Guides

Amazon Fire	Apple TV	Android
Chromecast	iOS	Playstation
Roku	Smart TVs	XBox

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