What is Peacock? Pricing, content, and how to get it, explained | Digital Trends (2025)

For decades, television was dominated by network television. Cable networks expanded their offerings, but the emergence of streaming services has created a new era of television. Direct-to-consumer has become the medium’s future, and having a single network or a few cable affiliates is no longer enough.

NBCUniversal used to partner with Hulu to meet its streaming needs. The company also launched Seeso, a short-lived streaming service primarily dedicated to comedy series. Now, NBCUniversal has Peacock, a streaming service launched in 2020 that aims to compete with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Paramount Plus, and other streaming giants.

Peacock’s recent success can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, its competitive pricing has made it an attractive option for consumers. Secondly, being a part of the NBCUniversal family has given Peacock an advantage over its competitors. Additionally, Peacock has been producing original programming to complement its extensive collection of TV shows and movies produced by NBC, Universal Pictures, and others. This could potentially make Peacock a strong contender in the ongoing streaming wars. However, before you decide whether to subscribe to Peacock, we’re here to help you evaluate if it’s the right choice for you.

How much does Peacock cost?

Peacock Premium is now the lowest tier, as the free option is no longer available. Even with Peacock Premium, you still have to watch ads. Still, for a nominal fee of $6 per month, you can access a vast library of content, including movies, TV shows, live sports (including Premier League soccer), Telemundo Spanish-language series, and more.

If you want to enjoy the same content without ads, you can opt for the second tier, Peacock Premium Plus, which costs $12 monthly. The difference between the two tiers is that with Peacock Premium Plus, ads are mostly eliminated, except for some events (such as sports) that may have ads due to pre-existing agreements.

Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus are discounted if you pay yearly, currently $60 and $120, respectively. There are also student offers.

Over the years, some cellular companies have offered special tie-ins with Peacock that tend to lower the per-year price. These change often, so check with your provider before subscribing to Peacock.

What do you need to watch Peacock?

Peacock can be accessed through various platforms. A web browser is a good starting point. Peacock is compatible with popular Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari browsers. It can also be accessed on Android and Apple iPhones and iPads. PlayStation and Xbox users can find Peacock on their consoles. Peacock works with select smart TVs, including Samsung, Vizio, LG, and Hisense.

Peacock is also available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon, Google TV, and Chromecast. It can be accessed through select cable box sets from Cox, Spectrum, and Xfinity. Moreover, it’s available through Meta VR for the Meta Quest and Meta Quest Pro.

Which movies are included on Peacock?

One advantage of having the Universal Film Library at its disposal is that Peacock has a great movie selection and some classic titles right out of the gate. There’s also a selection of films from other studios. However, the titles of films available are always changing.

Among the most popular films on Peacock are Trolls Band Together, Dunkirk, The Dark Knight, Split, and this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Oppenheimer.

Which TV shows are on Peacock?

Peacock excels when it comes to television. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Peacock has several of the best TV series ever. That includes 30 Rock, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Battlestar Galactica (2004), Cheers, Columbo, Everybody Hates Chris, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friday Night Lights, Knight Rider, Leave It to Beaver, Magnum PI, Miami Vice, Monk, Murder She Wrote, Parks and Recreation, Psych, The Munsters, and, The Rockford Files.

Current NBC series are also among the Peacock lineup, including Quantum Leap, Law and Order, Law and Order: Law and Order: SVU, Law & Order Organized Crime, Night Court, and the three Chicago-based shows Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago P.D. Paramount Network’s hit series Yellowstone also has a home on Peacock.

If you love late-night comedy, Peacock is also where you can find new and classic episodes of Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Late Night with Seth Meyers.

What original series are on Peacock?

The Peacock streaming service is expanding its collection of original shows across genres such as comedy, drama, reality, and documentary. Some popular titles generating buzz are Apples Never Fall, Ted, The Traitors, Love Island USA, Vanderpump Rules, Poker Face, Dr. Death, The McBee Dynasty, Deal or No Deal Island, and many others.

What original films are available on Peacock?

The Peacock original movies library has expanded slightly with titles such as Megamind, Dr. Death, Joe vs. Carole, and Angelyne. It also includes full-length feature documentaries like Stormy, Pathological, John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams, and more.

What about sports?

It’s no surprise that Peacock programming strongly focuses on sports thanks to its partnership with NBC Sports and Telemundo Deportes. The platform offers a variety of live and streaming content throughout the year, including the Olympics, National Football League, soccer, college football and basketball, golf, cycling, boxing, and more. Some of this programming is exclusive to Peacock. The service also offers WWE content.

What are Peacock channels?

Peacock Channels is a unique feature of the Peacock streaming service. These channels offer live and on-demand content across three main categories: news, sports, and entertainment. To date, there are over 50 channels to choose from.

Does Peacock include 4K streaming?

Peacock provides a limited selection of 4K content to its Premium and Premium Plus subscribers. However, the 4K library is relatively small and can only be streamed on specific platforms. You can identify the available 4K content by looking for the 4K UHD badge in the Information section of the content.

What are Peacock’s optimum internet speeds?

According to Peacock, a minimum internet speed of 3 Mbps is sufficient to enjoy Peacock’s services without any interruptions. However, to enjoy high-quality live events and ultra-high definition premium content, it is recommended that your Wi-Fi or 4G/5G/LTE speed should be at least 8 Mbps.

You might not know your internet speed off the cuff, so you can test it here.

How do you get Peacock?

To access Peacock, you can start by visiting its website. However, to subscribe to Peacock Premium or Peacock Premium Plus, you must provide your credit card details. Unfortunately, no free trial is available, but you can cancel your subscription anytime.

See the above “What do you need to watch Peacock?” section for all the platforms and devices on which the service is available. You can find the Peacock app in your respective channel store and download it to your device.