Earlier this month, Peacock ended its free tier for new subscribers, now another major change is happening at the Comcast streaming service.
A spokesperson for Peacock confirmed to The Streamable, that starting in April, new Xfinity customers will no longer receive Peacock Premium for free as part of their service. Those who already receive Peacock Premium as a free benefit as part of their Xfinity service, will have to start paying for the streaming service on June 26.
Customers will begin receiving a message as part of their bill starting on Feb. 13 sharing the change. Beginning in April, Xfinity subscribers will instead be presented with a discounted offer to keep the service.
Since the launch of Peacock in April 2020, Xfinity cable subscribers and Xfinity Internet subscribers with a Flex device received Peacock Premium (normally $4.99 per month) for free, or Peacock Premium Plus ($9.99 per month) for $5.
The news was originally leaked on Reddit through internal support documentation.
The Xfinity documentation said:
- Starting April 3, Peacock Premium will no longer be included for new Xfinity video and Flex customers. Customers will be presented with discounted offer details within the Peacock app.
- Starting June 26, Peacock Premium will no longer be included for existing Xfinity video and Flex customers. Bill messages begin Feb. 13. Customers will be presented with discounted offer details within the Peacock app.
NBCU has routinely spoken openly about its plan to eventually remove the complimentary access that Comcast cable and internet customers get to Peacock’s ad-supported subscription tier.
“How do we convert [Xfinity users] to paying subs?” NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said. “We’re looking at it as a total company. We don’t want to just do it from an NBCUniversal perspective. So the question is, how do we do that and when do we do that in a way that adds value to the whole company, and we’re deep in discussions on that. Over the next year or two, we’ll be probably moving towards that model.”
Similarly, Xfinity ended its agreement with Cox in January 2023 that had previously provided those cable subscribers with free access to Peacock.
The Premium Tier of Peacock is currently expected to grow to 100,000 hours of content in 2023, with originals like “Poker Face,” live sports including the upcoming Women’s World Cup, Big Ten football, and English Premier League soccer, in addition to a library of shows including “The Office” and “Yellowstone.”
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.