A Peacock Premium subscription unlocks access to all of the shows and movies available to watch through the streaming service. However, if you are new to Peacock then you will need to choose between two premium tiers – Premium and Premium Plus.
What You Need to Know
- Both Premium tiers provides access to the full Peacock library, including all movies, movies, and live sports.
- Premium Plus also unlocks ad-free viewing, local NBC, and the ability to download content.
- For most users, we think the standard Premium plan is likely to be enough.
With two Premium tiers to choose from, picking the right one primarily depends on how much a household is willing to pay, whether they want to skip the ads, or access a local NBC station.
Peacock Premium vs Premium Plus
Is Premium Plus really worth the higher cost? The short answer, it depends.
For many homes, the standard Premium plan will be more than enough. For others, the additional value available after upgrading to Premium Plus might be worth the added cost.
Here are the main differences between the two Premium tiers.
| PEACOCK | PREMIUM | PREMIUM PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12.99/mo. | $19.99/mo. |
| Ad-free | ❌ | ✓︎ |
| Local NBC | ❌ | ✓︎ |
| Downloads | ❌ | ✓︎ |
Regardless of the Premium tier chosen, all subscribers get access to all of the shows, movies and live sports available to watch through Peacock.
With no difference in on-demand content, there is no obvious reason to consider upgrading. That said, for those that want the richest experience possible, the differences do collectively add up.
Premium Plus – The Ads Difference
One of the most obvious differences between the two Premium tiers is that Premium Plus is an ad-free subscription.
There are some caveats here, including the fact that not all of the content on Peacock is available to watch without ads. While most of the library is available ad-free to Premium Plus subscribers, Peacock makes clear that, due to streaming rights, “a small amount of programming” will still contain ads.
Peacock also offers access to a variety of live linear channels. As these are live channels, ads are encountered regardless of whether paying for the ad-free upgrade.
Another caveat, and one we would argue is a reason not to upgrade to Premium Plus, is Peacock’s approach to ads during movies.
Peacock gets a lot of movies before other services, so it can be a good subscription for movie fans. In our experience, Peacock almost always offers an uninterrupted viewing experience when watching a movie.
Unlike most other services that include ads throughout a movie, Peacock tends to show an extended ad break (often around three minutes) before the movie starts. Once the movie begins, it is usually available to watch in full without ads.
With these caveats in mind, if you are considering signing up to Peacock to primarily watch live sports and/or movies then we wouldn’t recommend paying for the ad-free tier.
Instead, upgrading to ad-free will mostly benefit those wanting to watch on-demand shows and episodes without the interruptions.
Premium Plus – The NBC Difference
Premium Plus provides access to a subscriber’s local NBC station. This is a very good benefit to have, and especially if you’re not currently subscribed to a live TV plan that includes NBC, or you’re unable to access a local, over-the-air NBC station using an antenna.
If you are able to access your local NBC affiliate, or are subscribed to a live TV plan that includes NBC, then we don’t see a reason to upgrade to Premium Plus solely for access to NBC.
As an extension of this point, most NBC shows and programming are available to watch on-demand with the standard Premium plan.
New episodes of current shows typically become available to stream the day after they are shown live on NBC.
Popular live sports events shown on NBC are also usually made available to all Peacock subscribers. While Premium Plus subscribers can tune in to the channel and watch live as normal, Peacock regularly makes a separate stream available for those signed up to the ad-supported plan.
Although you might not be able to always watch pre-and-post-game coverage through this alternate stream, it does further reduce the need to pay more each month to watch live sports on NBC, including NFL, Premier League, and the Olympics.
Premium Plus – The Downloads Difference
One of the minor differences between Premium and Premium Plus is the ability to download videos to watch at a later time, including offline.
The reason we consider this minor is due to the additional restrictions that are in play here.
The main limitation is that downloads are only available on mobile devices. Unless you are someone who travels often, or routinely find yourself away from a Wi-Fi signal, we don’t really see much benefit in having access to downloads – at least not on a permanent basis.
If, for example, you want to watch NBC shows and Universal movies while on vacation, you can simply upgrade to Premium Plus for the month you will be away and downgrade again once you’re back home.
Peacock also only allows 25 videos to be downloaded across all devices at any one time. In spite of being enough for a series or two, this is a low cap in general.
Peacock tends to treat downloads similar to digital rentals. For example, all downloaded content is automatically deleted from the device 48 hours after playback has started, and will automatically be removed after 30 days – regardless of whether it has been watched.
If on vacation, or planning to be away from home, then upgrading for one month seems reasonable. However, we don’t think upgrading permanently for access to downloads is worth the added cost.
So, Should You Upgrade to Premium Plus?
The three main differences between Premium and Premium Plus are the removal of ads, access to a local NBC station, and the ability to download videos.
As we’ve discussed, we don’t view any single one of these as reason enough to upgrade and pay more each month for Premium Plus. While each has its benefits, we don’t think they offer enough on their own to justify paying $7 more each month.
That said, Premium Plus subscribers do get access to all of these features for the price of a single upgrade, and that does change things.
If you want to watch without ads and want access to your local NBC station, then it suddenly makes a lot more sense to upgrade to Premium Plus.
Overall, we suggest trying the standard Premium plan first to see if it works for you. Specifically, to see whether the use of ads, the lack of the live NBC channel, and the absence of downloads, are all things you can live with.
If any of these limitations prove to be too much of a dealbreaker, it may be time to upgrade, safe in the knowledge that you’ll also benefit from the other upgrades as well.
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