“Peacock”, the major American streaming service from NBCUniversal, is launching in the UK this week – and will be available to Sky TV and NOW customers from November 16.
Earlier this year, we reported that Peacock, which is owned by Comcast (the same company that owns Sky), will be coming to the UK this year.
That day has now come – but this will be a “soft launch”, giving Sky and NOW customers early access to a limited (for now) library of content from Peacock.
Over the coming months, Peacock will continue to expand its offering with thousands of hours of content from NBCUniversal and beyond, with new series being added every week.
Peacock launched in the US on July 15, 2020, with a big library of shows from the archives of NBC.
It also commissioned a few original shows, including Brave New World (which has since been cancelled), a revival of Saved by the Bell, and an upcoming Battlestar Galactica reboot from Mr Robot creator, Sam Esmail.
In the US, Peacock offers three subscription tiers – Free with Adverts, Premium and Premium Plus.
In the UK, however, there will be only one tier: Peacock will be totally free for Sky and NOW customers, but with adverts. Customers with NOW Boost, however, will not see adverts.
“Following its successful phased launch in the US”, said Lee Raftery, Managing Director, Europe, Middle East & Africa, NBCUniversal, “We are excited to mark the international debut of Peacock content in the UK and Ireland on Sky.
“Peacock provides Sky customers with an expanded catalogue of world-class content, including many of our most popular movies and shows from Peacock and across NBCUniversal.”
Another major US streaming service, Paramount+, is also expected to launch in the UK next year – and will also be free to some of Sky’s customers.
How Can I Get Peacock On Sky And NOW?
For Sky TV customers (with the basic entertainment plan), Peacock will be available (with adverts) at no extra cost, on Sky Q (Curiously, it’s not coming to Sky Glass for now).
For customers of Sky’s streaming service – NOW – Peacock will be bundled into the NOW Entertainment membership (which currently costs £9.99/month).
Those who are also subscribed to NOW Boost (which adds Full HD (1080p) to NOW, removes adverts, and costs an additional £5/month) – will NOT see adverts on Peacock’s programmes.
Starting tomorrow (November 16), customers will begin seeing Peacock’s content as a separate category on Sky and NOW.
At this point, Peacock won’t be available as an independent streaming service/app in the UK (so people can’t subscribe to it independently of Sky/NOW), but that option may be considered in the future.
What Can I Watch On Peacock In The UK?
Some of the content that will be available on Peacock at launch – and in the coming months – includes:
Peacock Originals including current series Saved by the Bell, Rutherford Falls, Punky Brewster, The Girl in the Woods, Five Bedrooms and Vanderpump Rules.
Plus upcoming series MacGruber, Bel-Air, Joe Exotic (working title), Killing It, Vampire Academy, Irreverent, The Innocent, The Resort, The Missing, The Best Man, Angelyne, Ted, and Battlestar Galactica
Current and Classic TV Shows including fan-favourites like The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, Psych, Superstore,A.P. Bio, The Mindy Project, Will & Grace, Mr. Mayor, Young Rock, and Saturday Night Live.
Popular dramas such as Battlestar Galactica, Monk, Bates Motel, Heroes, Friday Night Lights, 12 Monkeys, Downton Abbey, House, Suits, Quantum Leap, Warehouse 13, The Equalizer, and Grimm.
And unscripted hits like Keeping Up With The Kardashians and binge-able franchises including Million Dollar Listing, Southern Charm, Below Deck, The Real Housewives, and Top Chef.
Movies like The Best Man, Bird on a Wire, Bowfinger, Brüno, Bulletproof, Children of Men, Definitely, Maybe, Far and Away, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Game, Hanna, Hannibal, The Last House on the Left, MacGruber, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Meet Joe Black, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Out of Sight, Pride & Prejudice, Scent of a Woman, Seed of Chucky, A Simple Wish, The Skeleton Key, Tower Heist, United 93, Very Bad Things, What Dreams May Come, and You, Me, and Dupree.