Peacock FAQ for Premier League fans

We promised you a Peacock FAQ for Premier League fans, and here it is.

Peacock is the biggest development for fans of Premier League clubs since the debut of NBC Sports Gold’s Premier League Pass in 2017.

For the 2020/21 season, NBC Sports Gold is no longer streaming games. And instead of a season-long subscription like NBC Sports Gold offered in the past, you can subscribe on a month-by-month basis to Peacock Premium.

Perhaps the biggest change is that Peacock comes with more than 20,000 hours of content from movies and shows to news and other programming. More on that later!

Let’s dive into the answers to your most important questions.

Peacock FAQ for Premier League fans

Q: What is Peacock?

A: Peacock is a brand-new streaming service from NBC Universal that features original programming such as movies and shows as well as exclusive content including, most importantly of all, live coverage of the Premier League.

Q: Tell me about live Premier League games on Peacock Premium.

A: Peacock will have 175 exclusive matches available to soccer fans during the 2020/21 season, which will be available live in the Browse section of the Peacock apps and on PeacockTV.com throughout the season.

That means that all of the 20 clubs will be featured on Peacock Premium throughout the season, some more than others. In the past, typically the bigger Premier League clubs were exclusively on NBC Sports Gold a minimum of three times per season. But with Peacock being the number one priority for NBC Universal, it’s quite possible that more major games in the Premier League will be exclusively available on Peacock Premium than ever before.

For this season, 205 of the games will be televised live on NBCSN and NBC channels. Those games will not be available live to Peacock Premium subscribers. But you can watch them live and on-demand via other streaming services such as fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling Blue, as well as your local cable and satellite providers including Comcast Xfinity, Verizon Fios, DISH Network and DirecTV.

Q: What replays of games will be available to Peacock Premium subscribers?

A: Replays of all 380 games for the 2020/21 season will be available to Peacock Premium subscribers. Matches will be available on replay after 9PM ET on the matchday and then for 30 days after they air.

Note that some matches that stream live on Peacock Premium may be available on-demand earlier than 9PM ET, but all matches will be available after 9PM ET.

Q: The free Peacock tier will not include replays of Premier League games, correct?

A: That’s correct.

Q: So Peacock Free won’t have any Premier League programming?

A: While Peacock Free won’t have coverage of the Premier League, Peacock Free will include highlights of Premier League games. These will appear under the Trending and Browse sections.

Q: For viewers who join Premier League games in progress on Peacock Premium, will they automatically be able to choose between watching the game from the start or watching it live?

A: Currently, you will only be able to join games in progress.

Q: For live games on Peacock Premium, are player controls available to rewind or pause or fast-forward?

A: Player controls with that functionality are on the product roadmap, but will not be available at launch of the 2020/21 season.

Q: Will the ‘Goal Rush’ program be available live via Peacock Premium during the season?

A: Yes, the Premier League’s ‘Goal Rush’ program will be available via Peacock Premium. Plus, there’ll be a ton of other Premier League shoulder programming.

Q: Will the shows that used to appear on NBC Sports Gold be available on Peacock Premium? Shows such as the classic games, Premier League News and other programming from Premier League Productions.

A: Yes, all content presented on NBC Sports Gold’s Premier League Pass will shift exclusively to Peacock Premium with the start of the 2020-21 Premier League season.

Q: Will English-language broadcasts of Chivas de Guadalajara games be available live throughout the season on Peacock Premium?

A: There are no plans for this at this time.

Q: Are there any plans for Peacock Premium to allow side-by-side screens (i.e. split-screen or a mosaic) so a user can watch two games at once?

A: While Peacock Premium doesn’t include a side-by-side screen or a “mosaic” feature, it does allow you to have three concurrent streams, so you could have multiple screens open at once.

Q: What options are there for a viewer to ‘cast’ or ‘Airplay’ a game on Peacock Premium to their home TV?

A: Peacock is widely available across Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD; Google platforms and devices including Android, Android TV devices, Roku, Chromecast and Chromecast built-in devices; Microsoft’s Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One S and Xbox One X; and VIZIO SmartCast TVs and LG Smart TVs; as well as Sony PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro.

Comcast’s eligible Xfinity X1 and Flex customers, as well as eligible Cox Contour customers, enjoy Peacock Premium included with their service at no additional cost.

Q: Is Peacock available on Amazon Fire TV and Roku? If not, are there any workarounds?

A: Peacock TV is now available on Roku.

As of publication time, a deal hasn’t been reached between Peacock and Amazon Fire TV. But you can access Peacock directly via PeacockTV.com on your browser on your phone or computer. Plus, you can cast programs from your phone/computer to your TV. If you’re a Comcast Xfinity customer, you can find the Peacock app on the screen after you turn on your cable box.

There are workarounds available to get Peacock TV working on Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Q: Can subscribers use a HDMI cable to watch a game on their big screen?

A: Yes, that feature now works!

Q: Can we expect to be able to watch Peacock Premium on an external monitor for the 2020/21 Premier League season? Previously, the site prevents this from happening (for example, for people working during the games and wanting to watch a game on their external monitor while working on their main desktop/laptop device).

A: The previous issue with this functionality has been resolved, so you’re now able to watch games on an external monitor.

Q: How much is Peacock?

A: There are three pricing levels. The basic Peacock is free, but as we mentioned above, it won’t include Premier League matches. The Peacock package you’ll want for Premier League coverage is Peacock Premium, which is $4.99 per month (if you’re a Comcast Xfinity customer, it’s free).

There is a third tier, which is Peacock Premium Plus, which is $9.99 per month, includes the Premier League games like in Peacock Premium but the big difference is that it doesn’t include ads. (Comcast Xfinity customers can get it for $4.99/month).

Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus are available to residents of the United States.

Q: Is there an annual plan available so you can save more money?

A: Peacock Premium is $49.99 annually.

Q: Do I need a cable or satellite subscription to access Peacock?

A: No. Peacock is free for everyone in the United States.

See above for pricing details for Peacock Premium.

Q: Will any of the games stream in 4K on Peacock Premium?

A: Not at this time.

Q: What resolution are the games streamed in?

A: According to a Peacock spokesperson, the games are streamed in 1080p.

“The source content comes in as 1080p and we package into multiple bitrates for streaming. If a user has good bandwidth for IP streaming then they will retain a high frame size of 1920×1080,” explained the spokesperson. “If their Internet connection fluctuates then they will drop down to a lower frame size and bitrate, but then bump back up to 1080p once their Internet connection improves.”

Q: Where can I find the schedule of Premier League games on Peacock and television?

A: The most reliable source and the one that’s updated the soonest (often before news is made official) is our Premier League TV schedule at World Soccer Talk.

We researched and wrote this Peacock FAQ for Premier League fans to make it as easy as possible for you to find out how to watch games.

The 2020/21 Premier League season began Saturday, September 12, 2020.

Q: Streaming is getting so expensive. What recommendation do you have to cut costs?

A: Cable and satellite subscriptions are increasing in cost, and you’re typically locked in to an annual contract. At the same time, you’re paying for a lot of channels you don’t watch.

With streaming, you pay for what you want and you can cancel whenever you like. While some of the costs are increasing for select streaming services, our recommendation is to check out the Soccer Mega Pack which includes the Premier League, MLS, LaLiga and Champions League for under $25 per month. Depending on which clubs you support, that may be an ideal fit for you. It’s certainly the most cost-effective option.

Q: What programming is available other than soccer?

A: While we all love soccer, Peacock’s other programming will certainly interest a lot of readers. There are too many list here, but some of the shows/movies you may enjoy include Downton Abbey, Beetlejuice, Hitmen (from Sky TV), The Capture, Swedish Dicks, 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live, Bourne Identity, Rush Hour, Brave New World, Friday Night Lights, America’s Got Talent, and more.

Q: What if I have a question that isn’t answered above in the Peacock FAQ for Premier League fans?

A: As long as it isn’t a question about how many frames per second the video quality is (we’re awaiting an answer from NBC Sports), fire away in the comments section below and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.