Like to binge-watch classic television series? Your new favorite streaming app has arrived
The latest app in the video streaming competition is now available to iOS and Android users. Peacock is NBCUniversal's entrant in a very crowded field all with designs on your wallet. Peacock offers a free tier of service with limited content and ads. Peacock Premium, with all of the streamer's content available with ads, is free for a week and then $4.99 a month. Peacock Premium Plus gives you everything that the latter tier offers, but at $7.99 a month, it is ad-free.
Peacock Premium is free to Xfinity and Cox subscribers
Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus offer some of those great television shows you love binging on including Seasons13-20 of the original Law and Order; you very rarely see those episodes of the series that someone recently called television's version of comfort food. And if you're an Xfinity X1 or Cox subscriber, you get a free subscription to Peacock Premium. After installing the app, go to the home page and scroll down. In small print, you'll find a link that Xfinity and Cox subscribers need to tap on in order to link their accounts to Peacock. Even shows that weren't on NBC but were produced by them, like all eight seasons of House MD are on the app. Other television classics such as Two and a Half Men, The King of Queens and Everybody Loves Raymond are also in the lineup.
You can now install the Peacock app for iOS and Android devices
But the centerpiece of Peacock is The Office. NBCUniversal reportedly paid $500 million for the exclusive streaming rights for five years. Other classic NBC comedies like mockumentary Parks and Recreation are also available for binge-watchers along with the highly-recommended Frasier. Episodes of first-run shows on NBC such as This is Us, Superstore, and Law and Order: SVU will be available on the app the day after they are aired (with the pandemic still menacing the states, who knows when that will be). Older NBC shows that will be rebooted for Peacock subscribers reportedly include Punky Brewster and Saved By the Bell. Movies streamed by the app include favorites like Jurassic Park, Do the Right Thing, E.T., Meet the Parents, The Mummy, Vertigo, and Shrek.
News junkies have plenty to stream including NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press and Dateline NBC. Late night programming including The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Myers can also be viewed. There are also four original programs: Psych 2, Brave New World, The Capture, and Intelligence.
Disney+ has been the most successful of the new streamers, a group that includes Apple TV+ and HBO Max. At the top of the food chain sits Netflix which remains the global leader. Still, it has been Disney+ making the most noise recently when it started streaming a filmed version of the musical Hamilton. Originally set to debut in theaters next year, Hamilton ended up on Disney+ after the entertainment giant paid a whopping $75 million for the rights. We heard that much of the cash used in the transaction came from Scrooge McDuck's vault. And in March, when the coronavirus was first keeping kids at home, Disney+ started streaming Frozen 2 months earlier than scheduled. This animated movie was the sequel to the immensely popular Frozen.
With disposable income down in the U.S. because of the virus-ravaged economy, consumers might have some tough decisions to make in order to save some money. Netflix and Disney might be the favorites since both have a broad selection of content for all age groups. But if binge-watching some of the best shows that were ever broadcast on television is your thing, you might be able to get away with just Peacock.
Don't forget that Verizon's unlimited subscribers get a free year of Disney+, and those rocking AT&T's Unlimited Elite service receive HBO Max for free. With Xfinity subscribers getting Peacock for free, there is no reason why you shouldn't take advantage of these deals while the economy remains as sick as it is. You'll be able to take your mind off of your problems without having to pay for the distraction.
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