How Peacock Compares To Netflix, HBO Max & Disney+

NBC Universal’s new streaming service Peacock is out, and we’re taking a look at how it compares to competitors Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+. Peacock officially released to the general public on July 15, 2020, after a few months of access allowed only to Comcast customers, NBC Universal’s corporate parent. Peacock enters a crowded field of streaming options, all begging for the hard-earned dollar of the average working class consumer. Subscribing to one service might not be very expensive, but the more one adds to that, the more the costs rise back toward the level of cable TV.

While there are people who subscribe to streaming services as a supplement to their standard TV provider, many, if not most, streamers are “cord cutters,” meaning they use streaming as an alternative to cable or satellite TV. Back when Netflix was the only real game in town, this meant getting access to tons of content from multiple providers, all under one umbrella for a fairly small monthly fee. Now, it seems every possible media conglomerate has already launched its own service, or is planning to in the near future.

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This makes it more and more expensive to get consistent monthly access to all the best content, and will likely make many households make hard choices on what to keep and what to cut. To that end, here’s a comparison of how Peacock stacks up to heavyweight services Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+.

Peacock’s Cost & Value Compared To Netflix, HBO Max & Disney+

The factor most consumers are likely to consider first when picking between different streaming services is the cost, and the amount of content you get for that cost. Peacock has a distinct edge in that regard, as its base tier of service is absolutely free. The only downside, as with most free streaming platforms, is that users are forced to sit through unskippable ads during the shows and movies they watch. For $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, the Peacock Premium tier unlocks more content, but still has ads. Finally, for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, there’s Peacock Premium Plus, which touts itself as ad-free, but bizarrely, does still contain some ads.

When compared against the other three services, Peacock is the easy winner on price due to its base tier being free, provided one can deal with ad interruptions. Netflix’s base tier costs $12.99 per month, while HBO Max costs $14.99, and Disney+ costs $6.99. However, the other three services are ad-free for those prices, and so far, offer significantly more blockbuster content. When weighed against the price of Peacock’s ad-free tier, the race becomes closer.

Peacock’s Original Content Vs Netflix, HBO Max & Disney+

One area Peacock isn’t exactly excelling out of the gate in is the realm of original content, although to be fair, most services take a while to really figure that area out. Based on what’s currently there though, Peacock comes up short, especially since originals are only available on one of the paid tiers. Its only marquee original drama available at present is Brave New World, a re-adaptation of the classic Aldous Huxley novel. The series has gotten mixed reviews, leaning negative. The only original movie Peacock launched with is Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, a continuation of the old USA series. Thankfully, reviews there have been better.

Peacock has other potentially worthwhile original programming in the works, including a new Battlestar Galactica, a continuation of Saved by the Bell, and even a Punky Brewster revival. Still, most of those have yet to announce release dates. Meanwhile, Netflix has a towering library of existing originals, and Disney+ has marquee Star Wars titles like The Mandalorian and Clone Wars season 7. HBO Max’s original line-up so far isn’t great either, but it still offers much more content variety than Peacock.

Peacock’s Movie & TV Library Compared To Netflix, HBO Max & Disney+

There’s no bones about it, Peacock’s selection of library content is a bit lacking, at least at present. It’s well-known that at the end of the year, The Office will jump over after leaving Netflix, but that hasn’t happened yet. For now, the library of past TV favorites is decent to good, while the movie selection is, to be frank, a disappointment, especially considering how many all-time classics Universal Pictures owns. There’s a good selection of binge-worthy shows at least, including the Law & Order franchise, Parks and Recreation, Cheers, Frasier, House, and Monk. Movie wise, there’s heavy hitters like Jurassic Park, The Matrix, and Psycho, but also lots and lots of B-grade material.

Thankfully, most of this library content is available on Peacock’s free tier, but that has the side effect of making the premium tiers look unappealing, as users really don’t get access to much more library shows and movies for their money. Netflix’s selection of library movies has gotten weak in its own right as more rival services appear, but its assortment of licensed TV shows is still pretty great. HBO Max has the advantage of offering the entire HBO library, including Game of Thrones and The Sopranos, while Disney+ has most of the MCU and all of Star Wars, plus Disney’s animated classics. Peacock is the clear loser in this category.

Peacock’s Interface & User Experience Vs. Netflix, HBO Max & Disney+

Peacock’s look and feel is fairly standard for a streaming service, meaning it tries to look as similar to Netflix as possible, with large image tiles to scroll through and select shows and movies, as well as a search feature. Peacock could definitely make it easier to browse though, as its category selection is a bit vague at times. Perhaps this lack of browsability is intentional, to hide the lack of library content available at present. All in all though, Peacock looks pleasing enough, and isn’t too hard to get the hang of. There are interface and usability aspects that Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+ all do better than Peacock, but things could well be streamlined in the future.

One thing that really stinks is Peacock’s lack of support for the two biggest streaming devices, Roku and Amazon Fire TV, effectively leaving millions of users out in the cold. This follows HBO Max doing the same thing, thanks to reported revenue sharing demands made by Amazon. The fact that these corporate spats always hurt the end user continues to be a sad reality of the media world.

Is Peacock A Streaming Service Worth Getting?

Whether or not Peacock is worth using is a question with multiple answers, depending on the specific user. Free entertainment is always great, so there’s no real reason to not utilize Peacock’s free offerings, with the caveat that one considers watching ads a fair trade. Once money comes into play though, that’s where things look gloomier for Peacock. The added selection of the premium tier as it stands really isn’t that much better than the free tier, and unless there’s a specific show one just absolutely has to have access to, the $4.99 a month would be better spent elsewhere. Considering that the ad-free tier still has ads on occasion, the $9.99 price also seems unearned.

However, prospective subscribers should keep in mind that NBC Universal owns a ton of content not currently included on Peacock, and once that starts being added, the value for money will go up considerably, provided more offerings are sequestered to the premium tiers. For now though, Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+ all beat Peacock in every category but price, and that lack of price comes with potentially annoying ads.

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