Peacock is removing the option for new users to sign up for a free account.
This means that new subscribers will have to pick between Peacock’s $4.99 ad-supported tier or its $9.99 ad-free plan if they want to watch Peacock Originals and other content on the streamer.
Existing users with the free account are unaffected at this time and can still access the service for of charge. Only a portion of the 10,000 hours of programming available on the paying plans has been offered on the free Peacock tier.
The change comes as NBCUniversal turns its attention to the paid plans as part of its growth strategy for Peacock. Peacock Premium more accurately reflects the streaming service’s identity and its “unique” experience, per Variety.
Peacock surpassed 20 million paid subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2022—a 5 million addition—driven by live sports, films and originals in Peacock’s best quarterly result since its launch in 2020.
“Our success was broad-based,” Roberts said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, referencing sporting events such as the World Cup, the NFL and Premier League; its exclusive next-day broadcasts of NBC and Bravo content; and originals.
He expects Peacock’s subscriber cadence to follow its content launches, landing more heavily in the second half of 2023.