There are too many streaming services on the market to count. Nearly every major network out there has its own dedicated service, leading to an ever-escalating number of options — and ever escalating price tags.
Netflix recently revoked access to shared accounts for anyone outside the host household, Hulu increased its prices, Prime Video wormed ads into its formula, and now Peacock is joining in on the price gouging. Viewers are already increasingly exasperated by the un-affordability of entertainment, from the ever-increasing price of a movie ticket to the climbing costs of at-home entertainment, and it seems there’s no reprieve left. One year after increasing its price, NBCUniversal’s streaming service is once again headed toward a hike in cost, leaving subscribers in a rut.
What is Peacock’s price hike and when does it take effect?
Cord cutters got on the streaming train in large part due to the ever-increasing price of cable. It was becoming unsustainable to flick on the TV each night, and then Netflix arose with an alternative. Within a decade, a dozen additional streaming services were rearing their heads and providing competition for Netflix. They started off nice and affordable, but within a few years were encroaching on the same price as cable. Then they surpassed it, and entertainment-seekers were once again in a lurch.
Peacock increased its prices just one year back, but the platform is doing so once again in 2024. Just ahead of the 2024 Olympics — an event NBC well-knows people will flock to enjoy — the service will increase its cost by a full $2 a month. In order to continue enjoying a subscription to Peacock Premium, which sports a hefty helping of ads, users will be forced to shell out $7.99 per month starting on Aug. 17. And that’s if they already have an account. New users will see the fresh price take effect around a month earlier on July 18.
Peacock Premium Plus, which also sports ads (but far fewer of them) is also going up by $2, bringing the subscription from $11.99 to $13.99 per month. An annual subscription, meanwhile, will run users $79.99 for Peacock Premium and $139.99 for Peacock Premium Plus.