Peacock continues to shift its focus to growing its paying subscribers. Yesterday, the streamer began notifying her Xfinity customers that after June 26, 2023, Peacock Premium will no longer be bundled at no additional charge, an NBC Universal spokesperson told TechCrunch. confirmed.
Additionally, starting April 3, new Xfinity subscribers will be able to use Peacock for free for six months, the spokesperson added. At the end of the six-month trial period, Xfinity customers can get Peacock at a discounted price. The discount price is undecided.
Xfinity Flex customers and Xfinity X1 customers with an Xfinity Internet or Digital Starter TV subscription have had access to Peacock Premium ad-supported plans at no additional charge since the streaming service launched in 2020.
A Reddit user leaked the news a few days ago along with a screenshot of an internal support document. Customers will see the discount offer details within the Peacock app. Stay tuned for offer details and details. “
The document also states that on June 26th, existing Peacock Premium subscribers will need to re-enroll via their Xfinity 1 or Flex accounts.
An NBCU spokesperson pointed out that it has always been in the company’s plans to end free Peacock offerings to Xfinity customers. In June 2022, NBCUniversal’s CEO Jeff Shell spoke about the change at the Credit Suisse Communications Conference.
“Comcast households who get Xfinity get Peacock Premium for free. At some point, we’ll roll it back and pay,” Shell said. “Millions of people in Comcast homes are getting it for free.”
Peacock is not yet profitable for parent company Comcast. Peacock recently reported $2.1 billion in earnings, but that loss widened to his $978 million compared to his $559 million loss in 2021.
The streaming service added 5 million paying subscribers in Q4 2022, bringing the total to 20 million. This does not include free or promotional accounts.
A spokesperson for NBC Universal reiterated that the emphasis on premium subscriptions keeps Peacock competitive in the current environment. Many streaming rivals, including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Netflix, are raising the prices of their subscription plans. Peacock offers one of the most affordable options for cord cutters after Paramount+, Discovery+ and Apple TV+.
The ad-supported version of Peacock Premium is currently $4.99 per month. As of December 2022, DirecTV Stream customers can add a Peacock Premium subscription for just $2.99/month.
Peacock stopped offering free tiers to new subscribers last month. However, the content-less free tier is still available to subscribers who already have a plan.
Through 2023, Peacock plans to grow its premium content to approximately 100,000 hours.
