Continuing a strategic shift that dates back to 2021, NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock is no longer letting new subscribers sign up for its free, basic tier.
Instead, the registration page for the service offers only plans costing $5 and $10 a month. As of now, the basic tier is still in operation for existing, registered users.
Peacock, which launched into the teeth of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, faced considerable headwinds in the early going but trumpeted its ad-sales potential given the fact that users could sample it for free. (There were also $5 and $10 options at launch.) After pivoting toward paid subscribers in 2021 and steadily de-emphasizing the free tier ever since, the company has managed to pass 20 million subscribers.
When parent Comcast reported NBCU’s financial results for NBCU last week, it noted Peacock has more than doubled its subscriber base in the past year.
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