• Streamer goes live nationally in the US 
  • Offers both ad supported and ad-free versions 
  • Line up includes 20,000 hours of content 

this is us cast photo

NBC Universal: Launches Peacock with fan favourite This Is Us available

Source: Maarten de Boer/NBCUniversal

NBC Universal’s streaming service Peacock officially launched in the US market yesterday, seeking to differentiate itself in a crowded market with ad supported and ad-free versions.

Peacock offers both an ad-supported free tier as well as an ad-supported premium tier for $4.99/month, which has less than five minutes of advertising per hour. An ad-free version of the premium tier is also available for $9.99/month.  

The AVOD and SVOD service was initially rolled out to select users in the US in April.  

However, the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted its main launch plans. Peacock had originally hoped to launch nationally at the same time as the Olympics in Japan, drawing on NBC Universal’s coverage of the games to entice in viewers and subscribers. 

Peacock offers more than 20,000 hours of content from networks and studios including NBC, Bravo, USA Network, SYFY, Oxygen, E!, CNBC, MSNBC, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Universal Kids, A&E, ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, HISTORY, Nickelodeon, Showtime, Universal Pictures, DreamWorks, Focus Features, Illumination, ViacomCBS, Paramount, Lionsgate, Warner Bros. and Blumhouse.  

Peacock says it will offer more than 13,000 hours of content for free, including movies like The Bourne Identity, Jurassic Park, Phantom Thread, American Psycho, The Matrix, and The Blair Witch Project. 

The free tier will also offer new episodes of NBC current season series one week after they air including This Is Us and The Blacklist, sample episodes of Peacock Originals, and comedies like 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation and Saturday Night Live

Live sports in the free tier includes coverage of the U.S. Open Championship and Women’s Open Championships, an NFL Wild Card Playoff Game, and select events from the upcoming Tokyo and Beijing Olympics.  

Peacock Premium will feature access to all 20,000 hours of programming on the platform, including Peacock Originals including Brave New World, The Capture, Intelligence, Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, DreamWorks Where’s Waldo?, DreamWorks Cleopatra In Space and Curious George. 

The premium tier will also provide earlier access to programming, such as next-day access to new episodes of current season NBC shows including America’s Got Talent, Blindspot, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist , Saturday Night Live and Law & Order: SVU. 

Peacock Premium will also feature access to live and on demand sports programming, including 175 exclusive Premier League matches for the 2020-2021 season; coverage of cycling events like the Tour De France and La Vuelta; and WWE content. 

Peacock is currently available on platforms and devices from Apple, Google, Microsoft Xbox One.  

Comcast’s eligible Xfinity X1 and Flex customers, as well as eligible Cox Contour customers, will get Peacock Premium included with their service at no additional cost. Starting next week, Peacock will be available Sony PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro.  

Matt Strauss, chairman of Peacock, said: “From current, classic and original movies and shows, to live news, sports, curated channels and trending content from around the world, 

Peacock is the only free, premium ad-supported streaming service that brings together everything consumers love about television and streaming—all in one place.”