Shutterstock.com / Daniel Constantine
These days, there are numerous options available when joining up for a subscription service. You’ll frequently notice three or four options to pick from due to the advent of ad-supported tiers and the various picture resolutions available to stream in. The phrasing of each plan also doesn’t make it any simpler to choose. A good illustration of this is the peacock. Premium Plus vs. Peacock Premium: What makes this different? What are the pros and cons of each plan, and which one is the better choice?
Peacock Premium vs Premium Plus: Side by Side Comparison
| Premium | Premium Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $4.99 | $9.99 |
| Annual Price | $49.99 | $99.99 |
| Ads | Yes | No (some exceptions) |
| Offline Downloads | No | Yes (some exceptions) |
| Local NBC Channel Livestream | No | Yes |
| Full Peacock Library | Yes | Yes |
Peacock Premium vs Premium Plus: What s the Difference?
Let’s move on now that you have a good understanding of the advantages of each of the aforementioned plans. What distinguishes Peacock Premium from Premium Plus? In what areas do the plans overlap and diverge? Let’s discuss a few key points below. Which Peacock Premium plan is the better choice, taking into account everything from monthly and yearly costs to the quantity of advertising, the ability to download, and the availability of a live local NBC channel stream? Let’s discuss each of these elements in more detail below.
Pricing
First off, the pricing of Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus varies considerably. A year of Premium costs $49.99, or $4.99 each month. (Paying the one-time annual payment will save you around $10 compared to the monthly plan.) Comparatively, Peacock Premium Plus costs $9.99 per month. This plan costs $99.99 per year, which is around $20 less than paying monthly. Free, ad-supported access to a constrained library was previously available, but Peacock removed it in January 2023.
Ads
In the past, people would swarm streaming sites to avoid advertisements. But many streamers have brought back adverts as a method to recover the billions of dollars that are spent on these services annually after years of failing to turn a profit. The peacock is likewise a part of this pattern. Although the free tier with advertisements has been discontinued, Peacock still offers one plan with ads: Peacock Premium. In contrast, Peacock Premium Plus features nearly no advertisements. There are a few exceptions, such as when viewing local NBC channels or live sporting events, but for the most part, the Premium Plus tier is ad-free.
Offline Downloads
Offline downloads are a convenient option to watch streaming material without using the Internet or data, whether you take the train to work or school, need to limit your monthly data usage, or are going on a road trip with unavoidably poor connection. The policies for these offline downloading differ between Peacock Premium and Premium Plus. They are not accessible to Premium’s subscribers. But Peacock Premium Plus does. In fact, Premium Plus members can download up to 25 games simultaneously across all of their devices.
Local NBC Stream
via Michael Vi of Shutterstock
Finally, there is always a local NBC channel stream available. You might want to watch the local news as it is broadcast. Or maybe you’d prefer to watch the most recent episodes of your preferred NBC show live. The greatest athletic events in your area this weekend might be something you’d like to see. Whatever the case, adding this local NBC station livestream to your Peacock subscription can be a fantastic little bonus. In this regard, Peacock Premium and Premium Plus differ from one another. While Premium Plus does, Premium does not.
The History of Peacock
By providing a huge selection of television series and movies, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu first established themselves in the streaming industry. It didn’t matter which film studio, production firm, or television network was responsible for the movie or television program. These streamers provided everything. That reasoning, however, gradually shifted. Today, streaming services that are solely focused on a single network, studio, or organization include Disney+, Paramount+, HBO Max, and Peacock. Peacock, the last of these, is NBCUniversal’s response to this pattern.
NBCUniversal announced its intentions to establish its very own over-the-top streaming service by 2020 in January 2019. It would offer free ad-supported and paid ad-free tiers and feature both original material and works from the NBCUniversal catalog. After eight months, in September 2019, NBCUniversal gave this service a name to match its recognizable logo: Peacock. The official release date was set for July 15th, 2020, which was 10 more months away.
Peacock had three subscription tiers at launch: Peacock, Peacock Premium, and Peacock Premium Plus. The first was free and funded by advertisements, the second cost $4.99 and had few commercials, and the third cost $9.99 and had almost no advertisements. The free tier was then removed by the streamer, leaving only Peacock Premium vs. Premium Plus. Peacock is compatible with both versions of the library. This features popular shows from NBC, Hallmark Media, NBC News, WWE, NBC Sports, and other networks in addition to Peacock’s own programming.
What Happened To Peacock s Free Tier?
monticello/Shutterstock.com
If you signed up for Peacock’s free tier in the beginning, you might be wondering if your plan will be cancelled. Will I have to start making payments for Peacock? The solution is a pretty intricate creature. Peacock decided to end the free subscription tier for all new subscribers in January 2023. There would only be two choices available to you now if you hadn’t previously joined up for Peacock: Premium and Premium Plus. However, if you had a free tier subscription before it was eliminated, you would still have access to it.
In other words, being grandfathered into Peacock’s free tier is the only way to receive it. The choice was simply stated by Peacock and NBCUniversal. Peacock would be more at a competitive disadvantage if it kept providing free subscriptions. To put it another way, the service would be losing money far faster than its nearest rivals. Although the decision to discontinue the free tier for new customers may first discourage some from signing up, it ultimately helps the streamer maintain a competitive advantage.
Only a small number of streaming sites continue to allow free viewing as of this writing. The most prominent of the group is undoubtedly Amazon’s free, ad-supported service Freevee because it provides internally produced original content. However, free streamers like Roku Channel and Tubi are equally well-liked. In this sector, there are also companies like Pluto TV, Crackle, Vudu, and Sling Freestream. It’s free, ad-supported television, or FAST as the industry refers to it. It was obvious that Peacock no longer desired to be in the busy area.
Peacock Premium vs Premium Plus: 5 Must-Know Facts
- Peacock is the official and exclusive streaming home of hit comedies The Office and Parks & Recreation. Additionally, Peacock offers access to never-before-seen super-sized episodes of The Office including deleted scenes and bonus features not found on any other streamer.
- In an effort to recreate the feeling of watching live television, Peacock has many live streaming channels that feature a certain show (or genre of show) on a 24/7 continuous shuffled loop.
- One of the most innovative Peacock features is Watch Together, which allows groups of people to host watch parties including a live chat and a simultaneous stream of a show or movie from Peacock s library.
- Peacock will be the exclusive streaming home of a vast majority of 2024 Olympic events. The deal was signed in May of 2023, allowing the streamer plenty of time to prep for the big games next summer.
- NBCUniversal s streaming service offers the ability to create multiple user profiles, including ones geared specifically toward children. These kid-friendly profiles block any mature content and also allow parents to implement additional parental controls based on their preferences.
Peacock Premium vs Premium Plus: Pros and Cons
| Pros of Peacock Premium | Cons of Peacock Premium |
|---|---|
| Only $4.99 a month | Has ads |
| Includes full Peacock library | No offline downloads |
| Pros of Peacock Premium Plus | Cons of Peacock Premium Plus |
|---|---|
| Includes live stream of local NBC channel | More expensive than Premium |
| Almost entirely ad-free | Some programs still have ads |
Peacock Premium vs Premium Plus: Which Is Better?
So, Premium Plus vs. Peacock Premium. Which of the following Peacock subscriptions should you pick? Let’s review the topics we’ve covered so far. The cost of Peacock Premium is half that of Peacock Premium Plus, but it also includes commercial interruptions. Peacock Premium Plus offers offline downloads, the local NBC station live stream, and is almost fully ad-free. It costs twice as much, though. In the end, the more expensive pricing offers you greater value than the less expensive one. Our big winner is Peacock Premium Plus.