Does Peacock have ads? Yes, but you can get rid of them for a price

Peacock has been around for a little while now, and it’s become one of our favorite streaming services. It has thousands of TV episodes and movies to watch, from classic films to the most recent shows and films. It’s also one of the few paid streaming services that offer a completely free option. Of course, if it has a way to watch content for free, your next question might be, “Does Peacock have ads?”

We will tell you if Peacock has ads and which subscription plans have them. We will also tell you the advantages and disadvantages of each plan as they relate to ads. You can sign up to watch Peacock, for free or for paid plans, at the link.

Does Peacock have ads?

The one-word answer to that question is “Yes.”  However, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Peacock has three different plans, and two of them include ads. The basic Peacock plan lets you access about half of the streaming service’s content for free.  That plan does include video ads that typically run between four to five minutes per hour, and the ads typically show up before and during a movie or TV show. In some movies, the ads all run before the start of a Peacock film, which means you can watch the entire film without any more interruptions.

The second plan, Peacock Premium, also includes ads but offers all of the service’s content, including its exclusive shows, access to live streaming of your local NBC affiliate, and more. It costs $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year.

Finally, there’s Peacock Premium Plus, which costs $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year. It offers the same content as Peacock Premium, but it ditches ads for its on-demand movies and TV shows library. However, it does not get rid of ads for live streaming your NBC station, nor does it get rid of ads with its 24/7 channel lineup or live streaming of certain sports events.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a Peacock plan with ads?

The biggest advantage is that it’s cheaper. The basic Peacock plan is, in essence, an infinite free demo for the paid Peacock subscriptions. You can check a certain amount of content, but you certainly won’t get the full experience. Most Peacock original shows and movies can only be fully accessed with one of the two paid plans, although the service does allow users to sample an episode or two under the free plan.

The $5.99 a month Peacock Premium Plan offers all of the service’s content but with ads. For many people, that’s a huge bargain compared to other streaming services with ad-based plans. Netflix launched an ad-supported plan for $6.99 a month, and Disney Plus did the same for $7.99 a month. HBO Max currently has an ad-based plan for $9.99 a month. Paramount Plus does have an ad-based plan for $6 a month, but unlike Peacock Premium, Paramount Plus does not offer live streaming of its CBS local affiliates.

Of course, the biggest issue with Peacock Premium is that it does have ads that can interrupt watching an on-demand movie or TV show. We mentioned that Peacock sometimes puts all the ads in front of a movie, but not always. If you are one of those folks who got used to not watching ads on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Disney Plus, you might want to consider getting the Peacock Premium Plus Plan.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a Peacock no-ads plan?

Peacock Premium Plus gets rid of most of the ads on the service. Again, it does not get rid of commercials when you stream your local NBC affiliate live, and it may not get rid of ads for certain live sports events. In addition, NBCUniversal says a few on-demand movies and TV shows might still have ads added with Peacock Premium Plus due to local rights and licensing issues. Aside from getting rid of most ads, the plan also allows mobile users to download content to their devices for watching offline.

The big issue with Peacock Premium Plus is that it’s twice as expensive as Peacock Premium, at $11.99 a month. For twice the price, you might get rid of ads and get mobile downloads, but for many people, that might not be worth the extra expense. If all you want is to access all of Peacock’s content, the $5.99 a month Peacock Premium plan will likely be enough.