Q. I read that Peacock has a free streaming service. Do you know what you can watch for free? I know that there’s a pay version, too, but I would like to watch it for free. — Shelley, Prince Frederick, Maryland.
Shelley, Peacock, the new streaming service from NBC Universal (owned by Comcast), offers both a paid and free service. And you’ll be happy to know that the free version includes nearly 15,000 hours of programming.
Before I tell you about the free lineup, let me inform our readers about the pay version as well.
Peacock actually has two different pay plans under the title, Peacock Premium. The $4.99-a-month package includes advertising while the $9.99 a month plan does not.
Both pay plans offer more than 20,000 hours of programming including NBC Universal shows such as Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Parks & Recreation, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Dateline, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
There are also movies such as Trolls: World Tour, E.T., The Deer Hunter and several Alfred Hitchcock movies as well as original shows such as Sit-In, a documentary on Harry Belafonte’s controversial hosting of the Tonight Show in the 1960s, and Departure, a drama about the search for a missing airliner.
As you can see, Peacock is overflowing with interesting shows and movies. The free edition of Peacock has all of the titles I just mentioned (and plenty more). But what it doesn’t have is all Peacock originals, next-day access to current NBC shows, some sports programming, and some older NBC titles such as Cheers, Frasier, Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, and Superstore, among others.
If you’re unsure about whether to get the free or pay version of Peacock, the pay plan comes with a seven-day free trial. So you can check it out, and if you’re not sold, you could just go with the free Peacock. (Note: The free Peacock does not require a credit card; you just input your e-mail address and a password.)
By the way, Peacock is available on these streaming devices, but is not available on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.
Update: Roku and Peacock sign carriage deal.
Shelley, hope that helps. Happy viewing, and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
With so many networks going to streaming, which are the best??
That’s like saying what’s your favorite ice cream. Everyone’s tastes are different.
Peacock premium does have ads, I bought it and cancelled it today.