Key Points
- Peacock is a streaming service with no broadcast channel available, and it is not found on the Spectrum guide.
- Peacock was launched in 2020 by NBCUniversal as a competitor to streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+.
- Peacock offers a mix of TV shows, movies, news, sports, and original programming, including popular NBCUniversal properties like The Office and Parks and Recreation.
- Peacock has original content, live sports events, news programming, and acquired shows and movies from the NBCUniversal catalog.
- Peacock offers different pricing tiers, including a paid ad-supported option and a paid ad-free version.
Keep hearing good things about Peacock, but aren’t sure where to find the channel on your Spectrum guide? You’re not wrong for being confused. With such similar branding to NBCUniversal’s flagship broadcast network, it’s not difficult to get Peacock confused with NBC. As it turns out, Peacock is a streaming service with no broadcast channel available. You won’t find it on your Spectrum guide. However, that doesn’t mean you should disregard Peacock entirely. Here’s what to know about Peacock — including what’s available to watch on the service.
Best for Families  | Best Overall  | Best Budget Option  |
From $4.99.mo. | From $64.99/mo. | $25/month |
Description: Pick your choice of ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney Plus. Plans start as low as $4.99/month for ESPN+ only. | Description: Free trial available. Watch 75+ channels, including local channels and special premium channel offers. | Description: Take a 7-day free trial and stream more than 70 channels live. Record your favorites with unlimited DVR. |
Pick your choice of ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney Plus. Plans start as low as $4.99/month for ESPN+ only.
Free trial available. Watch 75+ channels, including local channels and special premium channel offers.
Take a 7-day free trial and stream more than 70 channels live. Record your favorites with unlimited DVR.
Peacock vs. NBC Explained
| Peacock | NBC |
|---|---|
| Peacock is an online streaming service with on-demand content from the NBCUniversal library. Watching the service requires a paid subscription. The streamer has new exclusives as well as classic movies and TV shows. | NBC is a television network that broadcasts TV shows on cable and satellite. Watching the channel requires an antenna, cable, or satellite subscription. The network airs news, sports, talk shows, and other original programs. |
History of Peacock
©DANIEL CONSTANTE/Shutterstock.com
Peacock is a relatively new player in the world of streaming services. It was launched in the summer of 2020 by NBCUniversal — a subsidiary of Comcast. However, NBCUniversal had been looking to establish a presence in the streaming market far earlier than just a few years ago. As it happens, NBCUniversal had been exploring the idea of entering the streaming space for some time. They announced this intention as far back as 2019, in fact. With this move, NBCUniversal could better compete with titans like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and beyond.
At launch, Peacock turned heads with its unique pricing tiers. It offered three to begin with: a free option, a paid ad-supported option, and a paid ad-free version. This approach allowed NBCUniversal’s new streamer to attract a wider range of viewers than if it had stuck with only paid tiers. (It’s the same sort of thinking that helped Hulu become so successful in the 2010s.) While the service eventually dropped the free tier, it nevertheless helped reel in more subscribers at a faster rate than if it had never introduced it in the first place.
Today, Peacock’s content library features a mix of TV shows, movies, news, sports, and original programming. One of its standout features? The inclusion of beloved NBCUniversal properties like The Office and Parks and Recreation. This extensive library gives it the kind of competitive advantage its rivals are clamoring for in this crowded streaming market. Still, Peacock faces some serious heat from streamers like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+. Its unique blend of original content, tiered pricing, and popular NBCUniversal properties help keep it steady.
Peacock Content Library
| Universal Pictures |
| Focus Features |
| Illumination |
| DreamWorks |
| Peacock Originals |
| NBC |
| Bravo |
| USA |
| SyFy |
| E! |
| WWE |
| NBC Sports |
| Reelz |
| MSNBC |
| Hallmark Channel |
| Telemundo |
Peacock Programming
The Continental
, a spinoff of John Wick.©Thunder Road Pictures – License
While you might not be able to watch it with your Spectrum subscription, Peacock nevertheless offers a wide range of programming available to stream. This includes Peacock original content, news broadcasts, live sports, and acquired shows and movies from NBCUniversal’s many labels, networks, and studios. Let’s dive into each category at length below to find out what sorts of programming you can watch on Peacock today.
Originals
Peacock is home to a growing library of original content. Most recently, this includes John Wick franchise spinoff The Continental. However, the full library of originals extends far beyond this. You can watch Anthony Mackie’s series Twisted Metal, Craig Robinson’s comedy Killing It, Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne’s mystery series Poker Face, or any one of the platform’s many reality spinoffs like Love Island Games or Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip.
Sports
For sports enthusiasts, Peacock also has a great selection of sports content. It offers live sports events like soccer matches, golf tournaments, and even the Olympics whenever they roll around. Subscribers can stream these events in real-time — a neat feature not every streaming service is capable of offering. Beyond this, Peacock also has award-winning sports documentaries and series available to stream.
News
Peacock also provides plenty of news programming to keep viewers informed. It offers access to NBC News content, including live news updates, special reports, and popular news shows like NBC Nightly News and Meet the Press. The streamer also offers content from the MSNBC library, ensuring that subscribers can stay up-to-date with current events and important stories going on in the world today.
Acquisitions
Peacock has a ton of acquired programming from the NBCUniversal catalog. From super-sized episodes of NBC sitcoms to new movies straight out of the movie theater from Universal Pictures, Peacock is the go-to destination for films and TV shows you won’t find streaming anywhere else. Occasionally, Peacock even has movies still in theaters — Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends played day-and-date on the streaming service, and Five Nights at Freddy’s is set to do the same.
Peacock Pricing
| Peacock Premium | Peacock Premium Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price Per Month | $5.99 | $11.99 |
| Price Per Year | $59.99 | $119.99 |
| Ads | Yes | Limited |
Do Peacock Originals Air on Television?
Below Deck Down Under
now airs on Bravo.©NBCUniversal – License
In recent months, due to a combination of factors, including an attempt to boost subscriber numbers and reduced studio output following the actors’ and writers’ strikes, streaming services have begun playing original content on broadcast television. This trend of streaming originals playing on traditional airwaves has appeared throughout the TV sphere. Take Disney+ and its airing of The Mandalorian and Andor on broadcast television, for example. Or Paramount+ and its airing of Yellowstone and Star Trek spinoffs on CBS and Paramount Network.
As it turns out, Peacock is no different. NBCUniversal has made the executive decision to air a number of Peacock originals across its catalog of stations. Reality TV spinoff Below Deck Down Under began on Peacock in 2022 before moving to Bravo in 2023. True crime anthology series Dr. Death hit the streamer in 2021 before airing on USA Network in 2022. Dark comedy show The Resort aired its pilot episode on NBC after first appearing on Peacock. Odds are, if the series is appealing enough, it will probably appear on an NBCUniversal network at some point.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©monticello/Shutterstock.com.
