Watching Peacock
Comcast launched the Peacock streaming service nationwide in July 2020. Peacock offers primarily programming from the NBC networks and Universal Pictures—and not much else.
What’s Playing?
Currently, the best way to think of Peacock is NBC on the Web. Peacock offers current and past NBC programs, including all the late-night shows (The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Saturday Night Live) and everything from NBC prime time. That includes past and present favorites such as 30 Rock, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Cheers, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friday Night Lights, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Superstore, Will and Grace, and the Chicago and Law and Order franchises. There are also a handful of original series, including Girls5Eva (produced by Tina Fey) and Intelligence (starring David Schwimmer from Friends), along with remakes of Battlestar Galactica, Punky Brewster, and Saved by the Bell.
Peacock also offers news from NBC News and a variety of NBC Sports programming. A variety of films from DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures are also available.
What It Costs
Unlike all the other streaming services discussed in this chapter, Peacock offers a free version. Peacock Free is, as the name implies, completely free. (It’s ad-supported.) If you want more content (twice as much, actually), then you can pay for a Premium subscription at $4.99 USD per month. (Peacock Premium is free to Comcast and Cox cable subscribers.) To eliminate all ads, sign up for the ad-free Peacock Premium version for $9.99 USD per month.
Tech Specs
Peacock Free offers 720p and 1080p HD, which is great for the price. Peacock Premium, however, offers some programs in 4K resolution with HDR, although not on all streaming devices. Although most programs are streamed in glorious stereo sound, some content is available in Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround.