Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Is Peacock Free? Everything You Need to Know Before the Olympics

Lucas Coll
By
Peacock logo
NBC

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are upon us (even if the calendar says it’s 2021), but this time, you’re going to need to sign up for Peacock if you want to watch the biggest events live. NBC’s one-year-old streaming platform is playing a starring role in the Olympics this year, but the good news is that you don’t have to pay to watch most of the main Games — all you need is to sign up for a free Peacock account. There’s one notable exception, though, so read on.

Peacock is somewhat unique in a crowded market of streaming services in that it’s totally free to sign up. Your free account gives you access to a limited selection of content, of course, but it’s a great way to try out the platform and see if there’s anything you like on there (and it’s arguably a better and more user-friendly model than standard “free trials” that start automatically billing you after a certain period).

Recommended Videos

To enjoy the full Peacock content library, however, you’ll want to sign up for Peacock Premium, which rings in at $5 per month, which is still pretty affordable. That lets you stream all sorts of shows, from new Peacock Originals like the Saved by the Bell reboot to timeless classics like The Office, along with movies, news, and sports. You can watch Peacock on virtually any modern streaming-capable device as well. That covers phones, tablets, web browsers, smart TVs, streaming sticks, and Xbox or PlayStation consoles.

Related

NBC is the primary broadcaster of the Olympic Games in the U.S. and is promoting Peacock heavily for this event. Peacock is the only platform that’s airing the main events from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — gymnastics, track and field, and men’s basketball — but you can also stream the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, exclusive documentaries, and tons of other related content. Peacock is running five channels in total dedicated to the Olympics. Be aware, though, that U.S. men’s Olympic basketball requires a Peacock Premium subscription.

Related

Finally, if you’re the type that really, really hates ads, then there’s a third subscription tier just for you: Peacock Premium Plus. For $10 per month, the Peacock Premium Plus plan gets you the same content as the Premium package but with no commercial interruptions for the vast majority of programming. Whichever plan you go for, though — be it free, Premium, or Premium Plus — now’s the time to sign up for Peacock and get ready to watch the Olympics live. The Opening Ceremony begins on Friday, July 23, at 6:55 a.m. ET/3:55 a.m. PT.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lucas Coll
Lucas Coll
Lucas Coll is a freelance commerce and affiliate writer for The Manual and our tech-focused brother site, Digital Trends…
Everything You Need to Know About Winter Olympics Skiing
Olympic skiier doing a slalom.

Many of the Winter Olympic sports are somewhat hard to relate to. How many of us have actually pushed a bobsled and jumped in, racing down an icy track, or tried curling, luge, or biathlon for that matter? While these events are still engaging to watch, there’s something to be said about watching a sport you’ve tried yourself or can at least imagine more easily. The various skiing events at the Winter Olympics are crowd pleasers for this very reason. Whether you are still a season pass holder at your favorite ski mountain or never made it back on downhill skis since your early days on the bunny slope, more of us have probably hit the slopes on a pair of skis than a ice track on a luge sled.
That said, the skiing events at the Winter Olympics are still foreign to plenty of people, and there are quite a few Olympic skiing events to keep track of. However, we’ve compiled a guide to the skiing events at the Winter Olympics, including the sports of alpine skiing, ski jumping, and freestyle skiing, to help you prepare for watching the Winter Olympics. Also, be sure to check out our guide to cross-country skiing events at the Winter Olympics.

What Are the Skiing Sports At the Winter Olympics?

Read more
Do You Need ESPN+ to Watch Fury vs. Wilder 3 in the U.S.?

Tonight, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury are settling their score once and for all in a long-awaited rematch that might be the biggest boxing event of 2021. Due to COVID-related delays, fans have been waiting for more than a year to see these two heavyweights finish their fight trilogy, but it's finally happening ths evening at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Here's what you need to know if you want to watch Fury vs. Wilder 3 online in the U.S.

It should come as no surprise that Fury vs. Wilder 3 is a pay-per-view event, and ESPN has secured the broadcasting rights in the U.S. That means that if you want to watch the Fury vs. Wilder 3 PPV online, you'll need to sign up for ESPN+ and grab the pay-per-view. The PPV costs $80, while ESPN+ itself rings in at $7 per month or $70 per year. However, the best value is to sign up for the Disney Bundle, which gets you ESPN+ along with Disney+ and basic Hulu for $14 per month.

Read more
‘There’s Someone Inside Your House’ Killer Looks a Lot Like You
Someone's stalking Sarah Dugdale as Katie Koons in "There's Someone Inside Your House."

Someone's stalking Sarah Dugdale as Katie Koons in "There's Someone Inside Your House." Image used with permission by copyright holder

In a small, Midwestern town, a killer is picking off high school students. In a sadistic twist, the maniacal murderer wears a mask resembling the victims' faces.

Read more