Peacock's Free Subscription Tier Is Going Away With A Pivot To Premium Content

Another one bites the dust as the golden age of streaming comes to an end, not with a whimper, but with one bang after the other. Peacock has now removed its free subscription tier for new users, according to The Wrap, but will not remove the feature for those who are already subscribed.

The move is "part of Peacock's growth strategy," according to the outlet, which includes a shift to a $5 Premium membership that offers perks over the free tier, including a larger catalog of content. They will also offer a Premium Plus tier for $10, which comes with additional features exclusive to that tier, like offline downloading. Most major streaming services—HBO Max, Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video, at least—already have that feature, so Peacock is really just using this as a move to get current. Especially considering all of the platforms that do already have features like offline downloading are at least $5 a month, if not more.

The Wrap added that "the move is more reflective of the brand and its customer base," according to a spokesperson for Peacock.

It seems that everything in the streaming world hinges on brand identity now that all of the bells and whistles that attracted customers at very low (or no) prices are basically gone. With brand identity comes the ability to separate yourself from the pack, and, thus, make some coin—which is the main thing all of these platforms have in common right now: the need to make, or at minimum retain, money. It's why we've watched David Zaslav systematically dismantle the HBO Max roster and back catalog despite the outcry from viewers, for one.

The platforms are now doing whatever they can to keep fresh programming and draw in-slash-maintain viewership. In October, for example, Netflix acquired one of Peacock's most successful originals, "Girls5Eva," after Peacock renewed the show for a third season. Both Netflix and Peacock now share co-exclusive global streaming rights to the first two seasons, while the most recent installment will be only available on Netflix. Pretty crazy, isn't it?

It's clear that the powers that be are doing a bit of a scramble, trying to pick up the very obvious pieces of the golden days of streaming and find ways to repurpose them before, well, having to throw them in the trash. It would make more sense for these brands to be doubling down on curating their libraries, as that is the biggest "brand identifier" they could hope for—after all, what else do we go to these platforms for in the first place?—but instead, they've chosen the path of least resistance: just getting rid of things for the tax write-off. It will be interesting, and of course sad, to see where they go from here.