Peacock is an excellent source for live sports, top shows, and movies fresh from the big screen. But given its lack of original shows like those produced by competitors Netflix and Hulu, Peacock has yet to reach its potential in the streaming sector.
Peacock is an excellent option for someone into popular, hit shows or sports covered by NBC on a national stage. But there are just a few minor flaws holding back this streaming platform from being one of the greats.
With options ranging from a free account to the Peacock Premium Plus subscription, there is truly a plan for everyone. While these varied choices grant you easier access to some of Peacock’s most popular titles, what other major streaming service allows viewers to watch 10,000-plus hours of content free of charge? The answer is none.
If you’re a sports fan, having the capability to watch matches across the pond in the Premier League, Sunday Night Football in historic NFL stadiums, and motorsports’ biggest races all from a single streaming service, it’s a no-brainer to secure a Peacock subscription.
| Benefits | Drawbacks |
|---|---|
| Live sports | Need the Peacock Premium Plus subscription to enjoy ad-free viewing |
| Quick access to some of the world’s newest films | Only a handful of original content offerings |
| Free option | Premium subscription doesn’t give you the option to download and watch titles offline |
Our experience with Peacock
| Price Range | Free-$9.99 |
| Sports Coverage | Sunday Night Football, Premier League, golf, WWE, NASCAR, track and field, etc. |
| Concurrent Streams | 3 |
| DVR Storage | No |
| On-Demand Movies and TV Shows | Yes |
| Live TV Streaming | Yes; news, sports, and some specialty TV channels |
| 4K Livestreaming | Yes |
Interface
Peacock’s simplistic design from the website makes it incredibly easy to navigate to the site and pick one of its three plans: Free, Premium, and Premium Plus. But the interface that’s easy to navigate isn’t just featured on its website. It’s also found in the app on Roku and Fire Stick.
After finishing the intuitive process to sign up, subscribers will know exactly how much they will need to pay moving forward. But once you log into the service on the app, the interface feels quite similar to most other sports streaming services.
Through the category labels on the side of the screen when accessing via Roku or Fire Stick or at the top of the screen from a computer, there are plenty of category labels, such as Movies, TV Shows, Sports, WWE, and My Stuff. Within each category, popular shows, movies, or events are displayed as well as the option to search through genre or sport.
Inside the sports category, you aren’t just limited to live and recent sporting events. You can also watch short clips regarding major breaking stories in the sports world from NBC Sports analysts. In addition to news coverage circling around your favorite sports, live channels covering NFL, golf, soccer, and more are all available.
Content offerings
Between the three tiers of service Peacock provides, the biggest difference is between Peacock Premium and the free version. With both the Premium and Premium Plus subscriptions, viewers are able to watch all of the content Peacock offers, with the exception of downloading content for offline use — a feature specifically for Premium Plus members. Whereas the free subscription gets you select shows and movies and doesn’t include access to live TV streaming.
With the Premium memberships, viewers not only get to stream their favorite shows and movies, but they also get access to live channels, including Hallmark, news, sports, and crime and mystery channels.
DVR and recording options
Peacock doesn’t allow subscribers to record their favorite shows to watch later like some can with cable. But if you are watching a live broadcast and missed the beginning of the game or news coverage, you can rewind to the beginning to ensure you haven’t missed any of the action or breaking information.
Viewing experience and video quality
When reviewing this streaming platform, we watched the full broadcast of the Week 18 matchup between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. Throughout the broadcast, we were able to receive HD video with no buffering from start to finish. The only odd thing about the stream was the times while in commercial break when the screen read “Coverage Will Resume Shortly. Stay Tuned.”
While one can assume this is due to advertiser partnerships with the streaming service, it was a little strange but nothing out of the ordinary from what I’ve seen on other livestreaming platforms. The video quality and commercial break screens mentioned above may vary viewer to viewer, as location and Wi-Fi capabilities play a major role in your streaming experience.
When it came to the quality of video we received while testing out NBCUniversal’s streaming service, we noticed while watching “The Office” that the only subtitles and audio available were for English and Spanish. Additionally, the only option to change audio or video quality was the slider on the top that allows you to change the volume while viewing on a laptop.
Personalization and security
The personalization of Peacock is one of my favorite things about this streaming service. There is an assortment of avatars from which you can choose for your profile picture, and you can distinguish your profile by name as well.
When it comes to parental controls, users are given five rating-based options that include: Little Kids, Older Kids, Family, Teen, and Adult. These options allow different content offerings based on which ratings you include in the individual profile. If you want to lock your account so children can’t access certain content, Peacock includes a profile PIN option where you can lock your account with a customized code.
Sports fans: Yay or nay?
For die-hard sports fans, a Peacock subscription is phenomenal due to the various sports to which it provides access. Events like Sunday Night Football, WWE, and Premiership Rugby are just a few of the many sports Peacock has to offer. Additionally, for motorsports fans, content like NASCAR, IndyCar, and IMSA are all covered with various races broadcast only on Peacock. Although most of these sports can’t be viewed through a Peacock free account, a $5 or $10 monthly subscription for all these sports and movies, TV shows, and more is an absolute steal.
Our verdict:
3.5 out of 5 stars
How does Peacock compare to other streaming services?
| Streaming Service | Cost per Month | Sports Coverage | Ads? | Free Trial? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peacock | $0-$9.99 | Yes | Ad-free option | No |
| Amazon Prime Video | $8.99 | Yes | No | Yes |
| Hulu | $7.99-$17.99 | No | Ad-free option | Yes |
| Netflix | $6.99- $19.99 | No | Ad-free option | No |
| ESPN Plus | $10.99 | Yes | Yes | No |
| Apple TV Plus | $6.99 | Yes | No | Yes |
When it comes to the quality of content you get for the price you pay, it’s hard to look past Peacock as one of the best values in streaming. But if you’re looking for the best streaming service for viewing your favorite sports, you may want to look elsewhere. Many sports fans choose ESPN Plus on a regular basis to watch college basketball, soccer, and hockey. On Peacock, you get access to only the sports aired on NBC or specifically broadcast on Peacock, which are somewhat limited.
How to subscribe to Peacock
- Visit the Peacock website.
- Hit the “Pick a Plan” box on the left hand side of your screen.
- Choose between a Premium, Premium Plus, or free account.
- Fill in the boxes on the screen, including information like email and password
- If a free account is selected, the process is done. If a Premium account is selected, you will be prompted to enter your credit card information.
How to cancel my Peacock subscription
- Login to your Peacock account on a computer.
- Click on the “Account” box in the top right corner.
- Select “Change Plan” located under the “Your Plan” section.
- Click “Peacock Free” and confirm your selection.
Final Take: Is Peacock worth it?
In short, this Peacock review made us realize it’s worth the low price for the Premium and Premium Plus subscriptions. Though the lack of original content is the main feature holding back this service from being a frontrunner, Peacock has a quality assortment of different genres and content. If you are a person who watches a lot of popular shows without worrying about the newest original coming out, Peacock could be the perfect fit.
While it isn’t on the level of Hulu or Netflix just yet, Peacock could be the next big thing if NBCUniversal takes the necessary next steps with its burgeoning streaming platform.
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