NBCUniversal originally hyped up Peacock as a free, ad-supported streaming service, but the company is now axing the free tier for new users.
As reported by The Streamable, NBCUniversal will instead require newcomers to pay for the streaming service. Previously, the sign-up page for Peacock gave new users an option to watch some content free of charge, but that page now has no mention of a free tier.
To try Peacock, it's $4.99 per month for the Premium plan or $9.99 per month for the Premium Plus tier, which eliminates most ads and allows you to download content for offline viewing.
NBCUniversal decided to pull the free option on Monday, according to a company spokesperson. The move comes shortly after Q4 earnings that showed "Peacock weighed on NBCUniversal’s business," CNBC reports.
The free option is still available for existing users, but the company’s goal is to focus on paid subscription tiers, which also offer live sports and original content. Currently, the free tier offers access to NBC TV channels, but much of Peacock's content, especially for new and beloved shows, requires a paid account. In other cases, only a free one-episode sample is available.
The decision to limit the free tier may hurt Peacock’s appeal. Last year, we gave it an Editors' Choice award, partly because Peacock is the rare streaming service with a free option that featured worthwhile content. This included offering some free episodes to the hit series The Office. To enjoy the classic NBC show now, you’ll have to pay up.
In some good news, NBCUniversal is offering one year of access to a Peacock Premium subscription for only $29.99 for new customers, a major discount from the standard $49.99 annual price. The deal lasts until Feb. 7.