Yes, Peacock Is Free With Spectrum — How To Access & Other Perks Explained

Those wondering if Peacock is free with Spectrum TV will be glad to know there is some positive news on that front. Compared to all the other streaming services, Peacock has always felt a bit more slight. It's associated just with NBC, whose partnership with sports and particularly, the Olympics, sometimes makes it feel like an app only for athletics and for those who get a free subscription to it. Peacock actually offers a significant amount of original TV programming and even some original movie programming, which may come as a surprise to some.

Speaking of the Olympics, before the 2024 games in Paris, France, Peacock raised its prices ahead of the week in anticipation of subscribers joining the platform. The subscription prices have yet to go down, but fortunately, there's Spectrum TV for that. Spectrum is the trade name for Charter Communications, which is the largest cable operator in the US by subscribers (via THR). While it feels like the streaming era has made cable obsolete, these companies still loom large and are constantly looking for ways to maintain their large customer bases.

How To Access Peacock Free With Spectrum

Peacock Is Not Available On Spectrum Just Yet

Beginning at an undisclosed point in 2025, Spectrum TV Select customers will have access to the ad-supported Peacock Premium tier (via Variety). It will also give users the opportunity to pay to upgrade to the ad-free Peacock Premium+ tier. Broadband-only customers will have both Premium and Premium+ available to purchase through Spectrum. There are three tiers of English language Spectrum subscriptions. TV Stream is $45/month and includes 85+ channels and the Spectrum TV App.

TV Select Signature costs $95/month and includes 150+ channels and several popular streaming apps. TV Select Plus is $105/month and includes 160+ channels, regional sports networks, and several popular streaming apps. While Peacock is not yet available on any of the subscriptions, accessing it will likely be just as simple as accessing any of the other streaming platforms. Users will simply go to the Peacock app, and sign in using their Spectrum account information.

Why Peacock Is Free With Spectrum, Explained

Spectrum And Peacock Having A Deal Is A Win-Win

While financial terms for the NBCUniversal-Charter agreement went undisclosed, it was revealed that Charter would continue its full broadcast of NBCU's portfolio of television programming. Matt Bond, chairman of content distribution at NBCU said about the deal,

"This extension of our strategic relationship with Charter ensures Spectrum video customers will continue to have access to the leading media portfolio, whether they choose to watch on traditional TV or stream it on Peacock. We also achieved our primary goal, which was to strike a deal that recognizes the value of our linear programming and the investments we've made in developing premium content, expanding the distribution of Peacock to more consumers. We are pleased to partner with Charter to reach these objectives to the benefit of our viewers."

For NBC, this is a chance for Peacock to be put up right alongside the "prestige" streaming platforms that Spectrum already has a deal with. This makes it clear that the company believes its original content and its library stack up against Max, Paramount+, and Disney+.

Tom Montemagno, Charter’s executive VP of programming acquisition said,

"With the renewal of our long-standing partnership with NBCUniversal, we now have completed deals with every major programmer to create better flexibility and greater value to our customers by including DTC streaming apps with their Spectrum TV service, at no extra cost."

This is a win-win for both companies. NBCU gets a seat at the table with other big streamers, and Spectrum can now increase its offerings to current and potential customers.

Other Streaming Services Available With Spectrum — Perks Explained

Spectrum Offers Access To Several Notable Streaming Platforms

Spectrum already offers access to several streaming services. Disney+, Paramount+, Max, and ViX Premium with Ads are available for customers who subscribe to either the TV Select Signature or the TV Select Plus tier. ESPN+ and Tennis+ are also available in the TV Select Plus tier. In all, it's almost a $65/month value for all the streaming savings. At the moment, Peacock does not appear to be available on any of the Spectrum tiers, but it's assumed it will be added on soon.