NBCUniversal is officially launching its Peacock streaming service for free to Comcast customers this week. The launch to existing Comcast customers comes ahead of a broader public rollout on July 15.
Starting tomorrow, people who subscribe to Comcast Xfinity or Flex TV services will get free access to Peacock Premium. This includes “more than 15,000 hours of content,” as well as free access to early to late night shows The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
As expected, the release of Peacock’s exclusive content has been affected by COVID-19, according to a report from Reuters. Because of this, Peacock is debuting with a “limited slate” of new content:
In lieu of a wider collection for new content, NBC is emphasizing its existing libraries of movies and TV shows, such as 30 Rock and Jurassic Park. The goal is to make content available to users that is “comforting and familiar” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What if you’re not a Comcast subscriber? NBC’s Peacock service is currently slated to launch nationally on July 15. There will be two tiers of Peacock Premium: $4.99 per month with advertisements and $9.99 per month with no ads. There will also be a Peacock Free option with a more limited library of 7,500 hours of ad-supported programming.
But with that being said, CNBC also reports today that NBCUniversal is “evaluating” moving up the nationwide launch from July 15. “We feel even more strongly we need to bring Peacock as quickly to market as possible,” Peacock boss Matt Strauss said.
Read more about Peacock in our original coverage here. If you’re a Comcast subscriber, you’ll be able to access the streaming service starting tomorrow.
