Comcast Offers New Streaming Service Peacock to Cord Cutters

There'll be Free, $5, and $10 tiers with discounts for cable subscribers

Published January 16, 2020

Updated January 17, 2020 03:37PM EST

What: Peacock is a new streaming video service from NBCUniversal (which is owned by cable company Comcast)

How: You'll be able to sign up for ad-supported viewing at the free and $5 tiers, with a $10 per month tier available for ad-free watching

Why Do You Care: It's a good price and will offer some solid content, including late night, news, and sports shows.

Comcast-owned NBCUniversal is set to launch its own foray into the streaming wars via Peacock, with free and $5 options (supported by advertising) and a $10 per month option for ad-free viewing. The service is scheduled to come online July 15, 2020.

Peacock joins a crowded field of competitors like Netflix, Hulu (owned in part by both Disney and Comcast/NBCUniversal), Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, and CBS All-Access in the fight to secure the eyes and attention of cord-cutters across the US.

There will be tiers, of course, providing different access to NBC's shows and advertising. The free tier will show ads and allow users to watch classic NBC shows, news, and sports (including the Olympics). The $5 tier, known as Peacock Premium, will offer more content like Peacock originals, early access to late-night shows and more sports. It will be free with ads to Comcast and Cox subscribers, who can then pay $5 to go ad-free (a $10 tier for non-subscribers).

What Is Streaming and When Do You Use It?

Whether it's the low price, originals like the Alec Baldwin-led Dr Death (or that Saved By The Bell reboot), or a large stable of older content that will lure users into watching Peacock is unclear. The bottom line is that your choice of streaming options just got a little more complicated, if not more entertaining.