NBC’s Peacock streaming service arrives in July with three price tiers

We have known for a bit of time now that yet another streaming service will arrive soon, this one coming from NBCUniversal called Peacock.

And now all of the launch information is finally here. NBCUniversal has announced that the upcoming streaming service will launch on July 15, 2020, and when it arrives customers will have three different pricing options to choose from. There is Peacock Free, which, as you might guess, is the free option, which will offer up a limited amount of content to watch compared to the other two options.

Meanwhile, the second tier has a couple of options: existing Comcast customers can get this for free, but with ads, and all of Peacock’s available content. Meanwhile, for people who aren’t existing Comcast customers, this option will be available for $5 per month. And finally, Peacock Premium, which will cost $10 per month for anyone who wants it, which will come with all of Peacock’s content and show no ads.

Here’s how the content breaks down:

  • Peacock Free: 7,500 hours of programming available. Customers will have access to first-year NBC shows, running in their current season, the day after the episode debuts. There will be curated content from the likes of Saturday Night Live, and access to some Universal movies.
  • The middle-tier and Peacock Premium will have access to some live sports, and early access to late night TV episodes.
  • Peacock Premium: Access to non-televised Premier League soccer games, beginning sometime in August, 2020.

Customers of Comcast and Cox will get access to an ad-supported version of Peacock Premium at no extra charge if they want. Or they can get it for $5 per month without the ads. Per The Verge:

Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex customers will get access to Peacock Premium on April 15th. The streaming service will launch nationally on July 15th. This means that for some 20 million households that use Comcast’s paid TV services, Peacock will be a free service designed to give them a streaming option for some of NBCUniversal’s most iconic shows.

And if you’re curious about Comcast ditching cable, don’t get your hopes up. The company says it’s not giving up on that effort anytime soon, even as it launches Peacock.

As for content, there will be a lot (at least for Peacock Premium and mid-tier subscribers). The Office will end up on the streaming service beginning in 2021. Saved By The Bell, Battlestar Galactica, Monk, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and many others will be available on Peacock as well. Parks and Recreation will be there.

There will be exclusive, original content, too, including a reboot of Saved By The Bell, and Punky Brewster. There will also be a series based on the film Macgruber developed for Peacock.

One big caveat:

Comcast and NBCUniversal used to be a part of Hulu, but Disney took over full control in 2019. As part of the deal, some NBCUniversal titles will remain on Hulu but slowly start to leave over the next few years. This includes day-after options, meaning that a new episode of a show is available to stream on Hulu after it airs on traditional cable or broadcast television. People who use Hulu to watch Saturday Night Live on Sunday mornings may not be able to do so in three years when NBCUniversal’s deal with Hulu expires. For now, Saturday Night Live will stream on both Hulu and Peacock, with older seasons of the show only available on one.

The entire Harry Potter franchise will be exclusively available on Peacock as well. For now, anyway, before it ultimately makes the jump over to WarnerMedia’s HBO Max in the future.

Here’s what the service will look like.

Peacock is going to be an interesting option at some point. Will it be worth the $10 per month? It certainly might be for some customers out there, especially with a healthy back catalog to built off of.

Will it be a direct competitor to Apple TV+? None of these services see themselves in that way, even as they battle for viewers’ monthly subscriptions. But NBC definitely has a lot to offer.

What about you? Is this a day-one subscription for you?