Those trying to “multi-task” at work, by streaming today’s Peacock exclusive Premier League games on their external monitor, were in for a bit of a surprise. Due to copy protection, Peacock is blocking the ability to watch using an external screen through HDMI.
While Peacock supports Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, it won’t if you have an HDMI cable connected. While this might prevent people from connecting their computer to their TV, more or less, it stops people from being able to stream on one screen — while trying to do something on another. Some users, have been able to get it work in Safari, but not other browsers.
Peacock has been responding to users on Twitter saying that “HDMI connectivity is not supported”:
HDMI connectivity is not supported at this time. Users will not be able to view via external monitor connection. They will need to use their PC, mobile or one of our other supported devices directly. Here is the link to our devices: https://t.co/XoLV75XoHx
— PeacockTVCare (@PeacockTVCare) July 15, 2020
In the meantime, your best bet is to stream the game on your TV using a streaming player like Apple TV, Android TV, or Chromecast (Fire TV and Roku aren’t supported), or disconnect your HDMI cable on your single screen. Some browsers like Safari supports picture-in-picture (just right click on the volume icon in the address bar). This way you can still watch today’s games, while still “trying” to get some work done.
Starting next season, Peacock will be the exclusive home for Premier League Pass, which will be part of their $4.99 a month Peacock Premium tier.