Peacock (streaming)

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rjbraun
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Peacock (streaming)

Post by rjbraun »

Planning to sign up for Peacock to stream a particular sporting event (Millrose Games).

I am not a big consumer of streaming services but got helpful feedback from forum members in the past on related topics so wanted to post again now.

Will probably opt for the monthly "premium plus" plan at $13.99.

My understanding after quick review of the fine print is that I can cancel at anytime. So, presumably after viewing the Millrose Games this weekend I will mark my calendar just under 30 days out (from subscription date) to cancel, and that will terminate the charges (cleanly and easily enough).

I assume that Peacock is all web-based and setting things up will be straightforward along the lines of Netflix and Apple TV, both of which I have experience using.

Are these assumptions reasonable, anything else that I may be missing?

Thanks in advance for the help.
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CardinalRule
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by CardinalRule »

Peacock is easy to cancel, online.

I wonder if you really need the $13.99 plan. A lot of sporting events (not sure about the Millrose Games) have ads, even with "Premium Plus."
Katietsu
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by Katietsu »

You can cancel right away with almost all streaming servicesand you will still have access for the full month that you paid for. I usually cancel same day.

If you have had Comcast internet for a long time, you may be able to get Peacock for free through the Xfinity Rewards program.
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CardinalRule
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by CardinalRule »

Katietsu wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 10:12 am You can cancel right away with almost all streaming servicesand you will still have access for the full month that you paid for. I usually cancel same day.

If you have had Comcast internet for a long time, you may be able to get Peacock for free through the Xfinity Rewards program.
Yes - I get it for free from Comcast, even though I have only internet and no cable TV from them.
popoki
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by popoki »

When Tour de France went to Peacock, I subscribed and then cancelled afterwards.

I kept my account so that I can re-subscribe for the next Tour.

I believe they offered me some kind of incentive not to cancel.
Topic Author
rjbraun
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by rjbraun »

CardinalRule wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 10:06 am Peacock is easy to cancel, online.

I wonder if you really need the $13.99 plan. A lot of sporting events (not sure about the Millrose Games) have ads, even with "Premium Plus."
Thanks. The same thought crossed my mind. I was (am) concerned that the more avid sports fan in the household would get annoyed with any potential ads, so I kinda figured it wasn't worth the six bucks to roll the dice.

Not sure, I guess I will decide when I go to subscribe. But, yeah, I have to admit I hate the idea of spending the $6 unnecessarily (silly as that may seem)!

Eta: Oh. Just reread your message, and that will be super annoying if we still get ads after going the Premium route! :annoyed
Topic Author
rjbraun
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by rjbraun »

Katietsu wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 10:12 am You can cancel right away with almost all streaming servicesand you will still have access for the full month that you paid for. I usually cancel same day.

If you have had Comcast internet for a long time, you may be able to get Peacock for free through the Xfinity Rewards program.
That's a helpful thought to cancel immediately so it will be one fewer things on the 'to-do' list - especially if the service will remain for the full month, anyway. Good thought.

Thanks - no Comcast internet, unfortunately. We have Spectrum (formerly Time Warner).
Zdex
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by Zdex »

rjbraun wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 10:00 amAre these assumptions reasonable, anything else that I may be missing?
Yes. For just a month, get your Premium plan. Cancel a day or two before auto-renewal. Quickly done online. Or, simply subscribe, then put in your cancellation.

Also, at the cheap tier, Peacock has an offer of $29.99 per year. If, however, you get it primarily to rewatch or skip ahead in sports, avoid basic tier. The replays are jammed with scores of commercials you cannot fast forward through — they look like dots on the timeline, and there are lots of them. Premium allows you to skip around without the add breaks; no dots on the timeline.
mw1739
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by mw1739 »

I usually find an offer for $20 for a year. Sometimes requires cancelling for a short period, but eventually the offer comes back.
TheDogFather
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by TheDogFather »

The ad-free is most useful for watching on replay. Watching live typically you get the same program as the TV broadcast but they have a ‘your program will resume soon’ graphic during the commercials. On replay I think that is edited out, or of course you can start watching the live broadcast late and fast forward through the breaks.

The ad-supported streams such as Hulu I find unwatchable.

There’s enough on Peacock given our interests to maintain a subscription, but services like Apple, ESPN and Paramount we turn on and off as needed without any hassle.
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PeaceLily
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by PeaceLily »

rjbraun wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 10:00 am Planning to sign up for Peacock to stream a particular sporting event (Millrose Games).

I am not a big consumer of streaming services but got helpful feedback from forum members in the past on related topics so wanted to post again now.

Will probably opt for the monthly "premium plus" plan at $13.99.

My understanding after quick review of the fine print is that I can cancel at anytime. So, presumably after viewing the Millrose Games this weekend I will mark my calendar just under 30 days out (from subscription date) to cancel, and that will terminate the charges (cleanly and easily enough).

I assume that Peacock is all web-based and setting things up will be straightforward along the lines of Netflix and Apple TV, both of which I have experience using.

Are these assumptions reasonable, anything else that I may be missing?

Thanks in advance for the help.
rjbraun,
A few years ago I joined Peacock for just the same reason (to watch Millrose!). I have no experience with the premium but have had the lower level paid plan and have enjoyed it to watch Athletics, Cycling, and the Olympics. The advertisements for the lower level are very reasonable. Using/canceling are straight forward. I initially had Peacock free, then for ~$2.50/mo, then for full price (~7 or 8/mo). A few months ago I cancelled at full price to try to get a 1 year deal for $20 but it was at the end of their promo and the cancelation took a few days so I missed the reduced rejoin period. I just googled and it looks like there is currently a deal for the regular paid level for $30/1 yr which I plan on pursuing to watch NB Indoor Grand Prix which took place yesterday, the Tour Down Under which took place in January and Millrose this weekend. Not sure on your interest in Athletics but prior years Peacock has had the Diamond League but this year it is under Flotrack.

As for the interface for sports, typically at live events will show as 'scheduled' for a week or so before hand where I then add it to 'My Stuff' for ease. You can toon in just before or as it starts. You will have rewind/pause functionality (and fast forward to get back to live). After it ends it is not available for a few hours then it will be available as view on demand (VOD). A minor issue is that if you are 1 hour late to a 2 hour live event, you can rewind to the start and watch as normal, but if you accidentally exit after 1.5 hr (30min after the live ended) then you cant go back in until the VOD is up.

My experience is that they keep sporting events until the end of the year (Athletics, Cycling), sometimes longer but sometimes significantly shorter (Olympics). For example the Olympics was hit and miss, if you did not watch 'breaking' live then I don't think it ever showed up on VOD, but some of the big sports might still be on there. World Athletics Champs 2023 was on Peacock, I expect 2025 to be on there as well. They do a very bad job at telling you what will be on there in the future, not sure whose fault that is or if that is how broadcasting rights work.

Rereading the OP, looks like you just want 1 month. When I canceled on 12/2/24 I still had access until the end of December. I could go on but I'll leave it here if you have any questions,
"Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle" Wilma Rudolph
exodusing
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by exodusing »

You could also sign up for a YouTubeTV free trial, then cancel, as the Millrose games will be on NBC. If you don't need to watch live, you could record it. That way when you watch you can fast forward through the ads. We've been recording through YTTV then skipping ads for many T&F events.

Many credit cards have discount offers for Peacock or YTTV.
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Rocinante Rider
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by Rocinante Rider »

I have Peacock with ads, but I watch it infrequently and only on my computer. When I begin streaming any program, a banner appears for a few seconds at the bottom of my computer screen stating, "Please disable your ad blocker to enjoy this content." I guess I'm missing out on the full enjoyment.
jpelder
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by jpelder »

Yep, Peacock works about the same way as other streaming services. The App for Fire Stick was very straightforward.

I highly recommend watching Brooklyn 99 while you have a subscription. It's a great show.
Topic Author
rjbraun
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by rjbraun »

exodusing wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 10:56 am You could also sign up for a YouTubeTV free trial, then cancel, as the Millrose games will be on NBC. If you don't need to watch live, you could record it. That way when you watch you can fast forward through the ads. We've been recording through YTTV then skipping ads for many T&F events.

Many credit cards have discount offers for Peacock or YTTV.
If I sign up for a YouTubeTV free trial, how would I be able to watch the Millrose Games exactly?

When you say you record through YTTV is that something you can access as part of the free trial or is the recording capability separate?

What other good T&F events have you found on YouTubeTV?

Thanks in advance for any help.
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rjbraun
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by rjbraun »

Rocinante Rider wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 11:21 am I have Peacock with ads, but I watch it infrequently and only on my computer. When I begin streaming any program, a banner appears for a few seconds at the bottom of my computer screen stating, "Please disable your ad blocker to enjoy this content." I guess I'm missing out on the full enjoyment.
Funny. I guess I will need to figure out how to disable my ad blocker on my iMac (or maybe it's already on, for all I know).

How do the ads work on Peacock?

Namely, if the Millrose Games are broadcast live is there a chance Peacock will air some commercial during an event, thereby causing viewers to miss out?

If that were to happen, that sure would be annoying!
exodusing
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by exodusing »

rjbraun wrote: Thu Feb 06, 2025 3:26 pm
exodusing wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 10:56 am You could also sign up for a YouTubeTV free trial, then cancel, as the Millrose games will be on NBC. If you don't need to watch live, you could record it. That way when you watch you can fast forward through the ads. We've been recording through YTTV then skipping ads for many T&F events.

Many credit cards have discount offers for Peacock or YTTV.
If I sign up for a YouTubeTV free trial, how would I be able to watch the Millrose Games exactly?

When you say you record through YTTV is that something you can access as part of the free trial or is the recording capability separate?

What other good T&F events have you found on YouTubeTV?

Thanks in advance for any help.
As I mentioned, the Millrose Games will be on NBC https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news ... atch-track YTTV is basically a streaming version of cable TV, so it includes NBC as well as numerous other channels.

I believe recording is part of the free trial, but sign up a few days before the games and see if you can record something.

They've had Diamond League, Prefontaine, the recent indoors New Balance in Boston, etc.

Reddit is a good source of info on YTTV generally https://www.reddit.com/r/youtubetv/

There's a lot of downtime at T&F events. I can't remember seeing ads preventing the viewing of any races on YTTV or elsewhere, with the possible exception of longer distance outdoor events.
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by iamlucky13 »

rjbraun wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 10:00 am I assume that Peacock is all web-based and setting things up will be straightforward along the lines of Netflix and Apple TV, both of which I have experience using.
Yes - they support all the major browsers (at least if they are up to date), plus the common streaming devices - Roku, Firefox stick, Chromecast, Apple TV, and many smart TV's.
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: Peacock (streaming)

Post by Epsilon Delta »

rjbraun wrote: Thu Feb 06, 2025 3:42 pm Funny. I guess I will need to figure out how to disable my ad blocker on my iMac (or maybe it's already on, for all I know).

How do the ads work on Peacock?

Namely, if the Millrose Games are broadcast live is there a chance Peacock will air some commercial during an event, thereby causing viewers to miss out?

If that were to happen, that sure would be annoying!
I find it depends on the show. Probably where they are getting the stream from and possibly the contracts they have. Some things are more "produced" than others.

NBC programs get ads in the "normal" places you would see over the air.

Cycling gets somewhat random ads, but that's the nature of televised cycling. Long periods of stasis with bursts of action. They avoid inserting ads when action is expected, e.g. the start, near the finish, approaching hills etc, but if somebody tries an unexpected breakaway you might come back from an ad to some breathless commentary explaining what you missed.

Rugby internationals get a couple of minutes of ads before the start and no interruptions during play. Can't remember if there are ads at half time but at least they are not memorably disruptive.

Rugby sevens they sometimes are a little late coming back from startup and halftime ads so you miss kickoffs.

Not sure how they cover athletics. Unless a TV producer is running the games coverage tends to be unstructured, cutting between events as interesting thing happen. Unless it's something like the main NBC coverage of the Olympics where some things are on a small tape delay and only "plausibly live".
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