NBCUniversal’s Peacock will raise its prices by $2 this summer, according to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday. The price change is slated to go into effect on July 18 for new customers, just a week before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. If you’re just looking to stream the Olympics, Peacock will have the most coverage, and you can plan it out to save a couple of bucks.
For new customers on July 18, Peacock Premium will rise in price from $5.99 to $7.99 a month, while Premium Plus will rise from $11.99 to $13.99. For existing subscribers, the price change won’t go into effect until August 17th. It’s the latest price bump in an unfortunate string of streaming price hikes. However, if you’re just looking to stream the Summer Olympics, there’s a small window when you can still stream the event at the original $5.99 price.
If you purchase Peacock Premium between July 12 and July 17, you can still stream the entire Olympic games at the original $5.99 price. Just remember to cancel the subscription after the closing ceremony. The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will occur from July 26 to Aug. 11, ending just before the price hike goes into effect. Purchasing the streaming service before July 12 means you have to pay for more than one month while purchasing after July 17 will lock you in at the $7.99 price.
Granted, Peacock Premium has ads, but short of using a VPN to stream the event, $5.99 for two weeks of round-the-clock Olympic coverage isn’t a bad deal. This is especially true when you compare it to alternative streaming options carrying the 2024 Olympics. Hulu + Live TV (With Ads) will show the events, but it’s going to be $76.99 a month. YouTube TV also will have it, but that costs about $72.99 a month.
As for casual Peacock subscribers, you’re out of luck. The streaming service is looking to squeeze even more value out of you. Comcast revealed that Peacock added 3 million paid subscribers in the last few months last week during earnings. The company is betting these price hikes won’t scare off customers.
We’re likely to see more price hikes throughout 2024, continuing a trend throughout late 2023, among other practices to squeeze subscribers. Max and Disney recently followed Netflix’s playbook by cracking down on password sharing. All the streamers are getting too big essentially, so instead of growing their subscriber base, they’re just trying to make you pay more for the service while they spend less.
