Peacock TV: Cost, app, shows and more NBC streaming service details

Peacock TV is flying high thanks to popular titles like The Office and Harry Potter movies. The streamer also has originals like Bel-Air, The Resort and Top Chef Family Style. Peacock has placed a big bet on sports as the home to Premier League games and pro wrestling, and it's also got live TV (at its highest price). 

Peacock may be one of the still-growing contenders among the best streaming services, but it's got a ton to offer. We've analyzed Peacock from all angles, including the shows available to watch now and coming soon, plus how good its originals are (check out Girls5eva and We Are Lady Parts). Oh, and don't think Peacock is just NBC and Universal content — it offers licensed movies and shows, too. 

Movies, fresh from the theaters, are an important reason why people may get Peacock. So, expect more than just Original movies like the Community movie, In mid-November, Nope arrived, and it's easily one of the best Peacock movies. 

In addition to thousands of movies and shows, the new streaming service will offer live and on-demand content across news, sports and late night.

Peacock TV cost & pricing info, availability

Formerly, Peacock was only available to those in the U.S., but that changed in November 2021. Peacock arrived in the U.K. and Ireland, and will continue expanding to other regions.

Following the death of the free Peacock tier, there are only two Peacock tiers.

Peacock Premium is $5.99 per month (following a price hike announced in July 2023), and it has more than 80,000 hours of TV, movies and sports, with select live events, current NBC and Bravo shows and its linear always-on 'channels'. Those with a Comcast subscription get Peacock Premium for free.

The $9.99 per month Peacock Premium Plus takes away "most" commercials, but Peacock Premium Plus isn't completely ad-free. According to the fine print, it still serves advertisements in "a small amount of programming" which includes Peacock channels, events and a few shows and movies. Peacock now has live TV with local NBC affiliates in the Premium Plus tier.

Both Premium tiers will have access to 15,000 hours of programming, including next-day streaming of all current broadcast shows; the entire series of The Office; full seasons of originals like Mindy Kaling’s Expecting and Sam Esmail’s Battlestar Galactica reboot; early streaming of NBC’s late-night lineup. Live sports (such as the returning Premiere League football) and the Olympics are be on both tiers.

Check out more details in our Peacock Free vs Premium face-off.

Peacock TV apps and devices

The Peacock TV app is available on most major streaming devices, having finally landed on Fire TV in June 2021. Peacock is also on Roku, gaming consoles and select smart TVs

You can also get Peacock TV from the Google Play Store for Android devices and the Peacock TV on the Apple App Store for iPhones, iPads and Apple TV. 

Here's the list of which devices are compatible with the Peacock app:

• Amazon Fire TV
• Android mobile devices
• Android TV
• Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD
• Apple mobile devices
• Google Chromecast 
• Comcast Xfinity X1
• Comcast Xfinity Flex
• LG Smart TVs
• Sony PlayStation 4 and PS5
• Microsoft Xbox One, Series X and S
• Roku
• Vizio SmartCast TVs

Peacock TV free trial

Formerly, when you signed up for Peacock Premium, they used to offer a 7-day free trial, no matter if you wanted the $5.99 or $9.99 tier. 

Now, sadly, there are no more Peacock free trials.

Peacock TV shows and originals

Peacock originals were led by the since-canceled reboot of Saved By the Bell, the hilarious and heartwarming comedy We Are Lady Parts and the Tina Fey-produced Girls5Eva. Other originals include Lost Symbol, MacGruber and The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. Another major Peacock show is Bel-Air, a darker take on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

The long-hoped-for Community movie is an upcoming Peacock Original without a release date.

Peacock now offers next-day access to NBC shows.

Peacock TV classic shows and movies

Much like Disney Plus, Peacock's biggest weapons (for now) are in its vault. Peacock offers a ton of titles from the library of NBC and its sister networks. That includes beloved sitcoms like Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock, as well as Saturday Night Live, and Cheers. There's also a lot of older programming for going retro, including The Johnny Carson Show, The Carol Burnett Show and The Greatest American Hero.

You also get a ton of Law & Order shows in a strong mix of drama programming that includes Friday Night Lights, House and Battlestar Galactica (the original, not the upcoming series). Also Parenthood and Monk, as well as other older shows such as Murder She Wrote, Columbo and The Rockford Files.

Reality TV is getting space on Peacock, bringing The Real Housewives franchise, Bethenny Ever After, Kourtney & Kim Take New York, Very Cavallari and WAGS (and many more) to the streaming service. 

Obsessed with True Crime? Peacock's got Forensic Files, Unsolved Mysteries, Aaron Hernandez Uncovered, The Case of Caylee Anthony, Dahmer on Dahmer: A Serial Killer Speaks, The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway and many more.

And then there are the movies. You've got blockbusters including the entire Harry Potter film franchise, action films like the John Wick movies, dramas including Children of Men, romances like Fifty Shades of Grey and comedies such as The Nutty Professor.

Plenty of kids content too: Peacock will pack in new and exclusive episodes of Curious George, Where’s Waldo? and Cleopatra in Space, as well as shows from the library including including Woody Woodpecker, Top Chef Jr., New Adventures of He-Man

The big bad news: You might think of Friends as an NBC show, but it's on HBO Max.

What's up with that? Oh, and Peacock is also lacking Seinfeld, which is currently on Netflix. Its absence is utterly perplexing. 

Peacock TV talk shows

Unlike Netflix, HBO Max and Hulu, Peacock streams nightly talk shows, with access to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Myers.

Oh, and Peacock will have its own original late night talk shows, that aren't just pickups from NBC. Those series will include the Amber Ruffin Show, starring the titular writer and performer known for her time on Detroiters and Drunk History. There's also an Untitled Larry Wilmore Show, which will see the former The Daily Show correspondent focus on the 2020 election and the topics of the week.

Peacock TV sports programming

Peacock is trying to differentiate itself from the pack by pushing hard on sports. Not only did it have coverage of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, there will be complete coverage of the 2022 Winter Olympics. 

Peacock is now the exclusive live streaming home of the series PFT Live with Mike Florio, which adapts the site Profootballtalk.com into a sports talk show. Chris Simms, Peter King and Rodney Harrison have stayed on. 

The streamer also exclusive rights to the WWE.

Over the span of the 2020-21 season, Peacock Premium will be the exclusive home (in the U.S.) for more than 175 Premier League matches. 

Peacock TV reviews

In our Peacock review, we noted that Peacock is great for watching classic TV, and we were delighted by how Xfinity customers get Peacock Premium for free. That being said, the lack of originals and a sparse "trending" section made it feel a little hollow. 

Over at CNET, they commended the service for its free tier, having fewer ads than Hulu, and its inclusion of news and late-night shows (two things that the other streaming services don't offer). Overall, though, CNET was negative about the service because of the lack of originals and how its back catalogue was missing many seasons of some key shows, such as Saturday Night Live, and regular Law and Order. 

The folks at Decider say that "Everything is fine" for Peacock, but "there are many, many miles to go," (emphasis theirs). Decider also joined the chorus that say they'll "likely never use Trending,"

Peacock TV ads

NBC is pretty confident in its ad-supported approach because it's going low on the amount of ads — with only five minutes per hour at the most. Yes, we all love to fast-forward through commercials to get to TV, if said TV is free, the success of Pluto TV shows that NBC is onto something here.