New Research Shows How Many Xfinity Customers Will Add Peacock Subscriptions When Free Service Ends
New Research Shows How Many Xfinity Customers Will Add Peacock Subscriptions When Free Service Ends
In just over a week, new Xfinity customers will no longer receive ad-supported Peacock Premium for free as part of their TV or internet service, and current Xfinity customers will have to start paying for the streaming service on June 26. Any Xfinity customers signed up for one gigabyte-speed internet, however, will continue to get free access to Peacock until 2025.
Now, as the Comcast-owned streamer continues its subscriber push, new data from research firm Aluma shows what is likely to come when Xfinity access ends this month. Thirty percent of surveyed users plan to subscribe to an ad-supported plan at $4.99 per month, 8% will sign up for a $9.99 monthly plan that does not include ads, and 39% plan to stop watching Peacock altogether. While the numbers lean in favor of a subscriber loss at the moment, 20% are still unsure if they will let their streaming service lapse or sign up for a new plan. Four percent plan to just use the Peacock credentials from a family member or a friend — at least as long as Peacock continues to allow it.
Peacock has a lot to contend with in its current subscriber grab. As of April 2023, 37 million U.S. households watch Peacock, and of the 15 million who don’t pay for their access, most of those are current Xfinity users. According to Aluma, if the 38% of Xfinity users who are planning to convert to paying Peacock subscribers do so, it would generate $413 million in annual revenue for the streamer. However, if the 39% of customers who say they will stop watching Peacock altogether stick to their word, Peacock will lose 18 million ad-supported viewers.
This is the latest move for Peacock in an effort to boost its revenue numbers, first discontinuing its free streaming tier this past January. The efforts are paying off, though as the streamer jumped from 9 million subscribers in January 2022 to 22 million paid subscribers at the end of the first quarter of 2023.
Peacock isn’t alone in the push, with other streamers — most notably Netflix — making sure they get as many paying persons signed up as possible. While some Netflix subscribers canceled their service following its credential-sharing crackdown, the ratio of sign-ups to cancelations increased over 25% compared to its previous two-month period. That said, the new subscriber count doesn’t necessarily point to success on the clamp on password sharing, and Netflix (and its competitors) will have to wait for more data to see just how successful it really has been.
Still, Peacock is hoping that 20% of Xfinity subscribers who are still unsure of what the plans for their plans are after June 26 will be enticed by current deals. Since April when the transition began, subscribers have been presented a discounted offer to keep the service. Until August 25, current Xfinity customers can keep their Peacock Premium accounts for just $2.99 per month.
Either way, Peacock remains one of the best values in streaming. In addition to its Premium monthly tiers of $4.99 and $9.99, yearly plans run $49.99 for Premium or $99.99 per year for Premium Plus, which includes offline downloads and your local NBC channel live. All plans allow users to access originals such as “Mrs. Davis” and “Poker Face,” NBC favorites like “The Office,” live sporting events including NFL and Big Ten Conference games, and much more.
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,” “The Office,” and original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports and NBC programming, including the NFL, MLB, WWE, the Olympics, the Premier League, NASCAR, the French Open, college football and basketball, and the PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.