Peacock increases subscription fees for the first time
Peacock, the streaming service, has announced an increase in its subscription prices for those who enjoy rewatching The Office repeatedly. The ad-supported Premium subscription will now cost $6 per month, up by one dollar, while the ad-free Premium Plus option will be priced at $12 per month, an increase of two dollars. Subscribers opting for an annual Premium subscription will have to pay $60 per year, which is $10 more than before, while the Premium Plus subscription will cost $120 per year, an increase of $20. These changes will come into effect on August 17th, as stated in an email sent to current subscribers.
This is actually the first price increase for the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service since its launch in 2020. The increase affects both current and future subscribers. The streamer dropped its free tier earlier this year, so you’ll have to pay to find out if Jim and Pam ever share that paper-soaking kiss.
Why the price increase? Peacock is raising money despite a rapidly growing number of subscribers. As of April, Streamer had 22 million paying subscribers, but increased programming costs led to a loss of more than $700 million. NBC’s golden child was the last stop, as all the other major streaming platforms were already hitting subscribers with price hikes. Paramount+ prices went up in February, and the same goes for Max, Disney+, Apple+ and everyone else.
This could all be moot if Hollywood’s twin strikes aren’t resolved in the short term, as streamers are running out of content faster than you can say “go outside and touch some grass.” Now, the premiere shows were filmed last year or so, so expect some serious dry weather around this time next year.
For Peacock, there’s a reason it reached over 20 million subscribers in just a couple of years. It’s not just home to The Office and other beloved, albeit ancient, sitcoms. The service streams sports, including NFL football, Premier League football and WWE wrestling. It’s also got itself a solid line of decent original programming, Mrs. From Davis’ absolute insanity to the critically acclaimed old-school Poker Face eavesdropping.
