Comcast to end free Peacock access for Xfinity subscribers

Cable giant Comcast is set to end its free coverage of Peacock Premium later this year for its Xfinity customers. Ever since the streaming service was launched in 2020, Xfinity TV and broadband customers had access to Peacock at no extra charge, but that’s coming to an end June 26.

A report from Variety claims that Comcast has already started notifying customers that from late June the ad-supported Peacock Premium will no longer be a part of their existing Xfinity service. Customers can still purchase a subscription as an add-on at a discounted rate. However, the price details are yet to be announced.

New Xfinity subscribers, meanwhile, will be eligible to get Peacock Premium free for the first six months. And from then on, they will also be able to subscribe at the discounted rate.

Normally, Peacock Premium is $4.99 per month.

Comcast and Peacock access: Cable and streaming

The recent developments come just a month after Peacock stopped offering customers the ability to sign up for the free, ad-supported version. NBC Universal CEO Jeff Shell had earlier said in June of last year that the company was planning to end Peacock’s bundled offer for Xfinity. “At some point, we’ll roll that to paid,” Shell said.

The report also states that an NBC Universal representative has said that there were already plans in place to phase out the no-charge Peacock offer to Comcast subscribers. It is part of Peacock’s long-term strategy and the company, meanwhile, is focused on increasing organic subscription growth.

As of the end of 2022, Peacock has seen a rise of double its subscribers, growing from 9 million in 2021 to 20 million. It is believed that the content on Peacock Premium will grow to almost 100,000 hours this year featuring licensed TV shows, original series, and movies along with news and live sports.

For soccer fans, Peacock offers between 175 and 180 Premier League matches per season. Recently, Peacock has added games from USMNT and USWNT (in Spanish-language) as well as the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup.

In 2023, Peacock plans to launch select Premier League games in 4K.

Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire