Peacock Is Here! What's Inside?

Peacock Is Here! What's Inside?

July 21, 2020

Now that NBCUniversal's Peacock is available, so is some of the data and early perceptions of its service. If you're not quite ready to hop into Peacock, we've taken a high view of the service to help you make your decision.

Streamer's Spotlight: Peacock 101 (Everything You Need to Know Before Signing Up)

launched on July 15. Now that we've had a week to sit on it, here are some interesting notes to take away from this service.

How Much Does Peacock Cost?

Nothing! You can stream Peacock's content, including many of its original programs like

Brave New World,

absolutely free. This is a hard deal to pass up, especially given the fact that Peacock was designed to compete directly against the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and in particular, CBS All Access.

So how does NBCUniversal offer Peacock for free? Simple: It runs ads. And lots of them. If you're using the free option (which Peacock defaults you to when you sign up), you'll see ad upon ad upon ad while watching its free content.

This isn't really a bad thing. Free is free, and Peacock needs to get money somehow. But if you don't like ads, you can get rid of them. Peacock offers two pricing tiers:

Premium ($4.99 per month) and Premium Plus ($9.99 per month)

.

Premium gives you all of Peacock's content, while Premium Plus gives you all of that content without ads.

Those pricing tiers are similar to what CBS All Access offers, but with one exception: CBS All Access has no free tier. If Peacock is successful, it may warrant CBS to un-gate some of its content into an ad-supported free tier.

Available Devices

Even at launch, this service has apps for at least one device you probably already own. Mobile phones running iOS or Android, smart TVs from Vizio and LG, Xbox One gaming consoles, and Apple TV and Chromecast devices are all supported.

The biggest gaps in device support are the Amazon Fire TV and Roku. Despite those two operating as the most-used TV-connected streaming devices, NBCUniversal ran into problems with the contracts for those companies.

Content Library

Peacock launched with over 850 titles. The list includes over 200 TV shows and over 650 movies. The quality is nothing to laugh at, either. According to JustWatch data, over 31% of the Peacock content library scores a 7/10 or higher on IMDb. The service includes new and older TV shows and movies that run the genre gamut, with hits that include

Jurrasic Park, Downton Abbey, Psych, Law and Order: SVU, Borne Identity, Fried Green Tomatoes,

and much more.

This Week's Streaming Guide

1. Watch All About Sharks that Live in Underwater Volcanos

If the title "Sharkano" isn't enough to pull you in, we don't know what else is. Watch live on Nat Geo Tonight (July 21) at 10 PM EST.

 

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2. Watch 'Fear City: New York Versus the Mafia' on Netflix

The Mafia once ruled NY. Watch how they got taken down for good. Stream on Netflix starting this Wednesday, July 22. -

3. 'Rogue Trip: Season 1' Streaming on Disney+

Watch as Journalist Bob Woodruff and his son embark on adventures around the world. Streaming starts this Friday (July 24). -

4. NBA Countdown Begins this Saturday

The NBA is making its return. Watch the annual

NBA Countdown

pre-game show on ABC this Saturday at 8 PM EST. -

News and Industry Developments

1. Some of Peacock's Movies Are Expiring (Already!)

Although Peacock just launched last week, some of its top movies are expiring from the service already due to pre-existing contracts. -

2. Hulu Tests Self-Service Ad Tool for Small Businesses

You may start seeing more local businesses advertising their wares on Hulu with new additions to its ad services. -

3. Disney Adding New 'Star Wars' Cartoon to Disney+ in 2021

The new 'toon, called 'The Bad Batch', will focus on a set of reject clones, with a setting within the Clone Wars cartoon sphere. -

4. NBC Still in a Standoff with Amazon and Roku

It doesn't look like Peacock will be coming to Fire TV or Roku devices any time soon. -

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