How To Watch NBC's Peacock On Roku: Which Devices ... - TV Guide

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

   Peacock, NBCUniversal's entry into the subscription streaming wars, is a portal to hundreds of shows, major theatrical releases, as well as original content and extras. It's also the official new streaming home of the WWE and is the streaming home of some major sports events including The Olympics and this year's Super Bowl LVI.

If you're a Roku user, you may well want to jump in and experience Peacock. Peacock wasn't initially available to Roku users, but now it is after NBCUniversal and Roku settled an initial disagreement over revenue sharing early on. 

Here's what you need to know about watching Peacock on Roku.

Peacock Plans and Prices

Peacock, launched nationally in July 2020, is NBCUniversal's streaming service, delivering current and classic TV, original movies and series, studio releases, live sports, and news. It does not, however, include one of the network's most popular TV series ever, Friends. The sitcom is found on HBO Max, being that HBO is owned by WarnerMedia, which in turn owns the rights to the adventures of Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, and Joey. 

Learn more about Peacock

Peacock consists of three tiers:

• Peacock Free: Offers about two-thirds of the service's programming at no charge, such as Seasons 1 and 2 of the network's popular series The Office, limited episodes of Peacock original series (you only get two episodes of Brave New World, for example). NBC and Telemundo's current-season shows hit the free tier a week after they air. One extra benefit: You do not need to enter a credit card number to access the Free tier. This subscription also includes movies, sports (such as some events from the Beijing Olympics and daily highlights from NBC Sports, news, kids' shows, and Telemundo shows. 
• Peacock Premium: The $5/mo. tier, which comes with a free week, includes everything the Free tier offers, plus the full range of Peacock programming (the entire run of The Office, for example), as well as next-day access to current NBC and Telemundo TV shows. You'll find Peacock original content, live sports, all the WWE programming you can handle, Premier League, and more movies and TV shows on this tier, which also includes commercial breaks.
• Peacock Premium Plus: The $10/mo. tier also has a one-week free trial and gives you everything the Premium tier offers. The main difference is that the plan is largely commercial-free (some live programming still has commercials due to previous deals). And it comes with the ability to watch select titles offline on mobile devices.

Watch Peacock on these Roku streaming devices

If you're already a Roku user, you may have the device it takes to stream Peacock. You'll need any of these Peacock supported devices to stream:

• Roku 2 (4210X model only)
• Roku 3 & 4 (model 4200X or later)
• Roku Streaming Stick (model 3600X or later)
• Roku Express (model 3900X or later)
• Roku Premiere+ (model 3920X or later)
• Roku Ultra LT (model 4640X or later) 
• Roku TV and Smart Soundbar (model 5000X or later)

Other Roku devices are not supported by Peacock.

If you have a 4K-capable Roku device and TV, you may be disappointed to learn that Peacock doesn't deliver its content in 4K resolution.

Learn more about Peacock

How to Watch Peacock on Your Roku Device 

1. Sign up for a Peacock account.

Using a web browser, head to the signup page. Select the plan you want (Peacock Free, Peacock Premium, or Peacock Premium Plus) and create your account.

2. Now power up your Roku device.

Go to the Home screen on your Roku device.

3. Add Peacock

• Search "Peacock," select it and then select "Add Channel."
• When it's installed, head back to the Home screen.
• Look up "Peacock TV" in your list of available channels and select it. 
• The first time you start it, you'll log in using the account credentials you set earlier.

That's all it takes. You're ready to start delving into the Peacock content.

What can I watch on Peacock with Roku devices?

There's a wide variety of programming available via Peacock for Roku viewers -- more than 20,000 hours of content for subscribers. Of course, content may be added or removed each month, so make sure to check the provider site for the latest lineups. 

• Current television series, with on-demand episodes including shows such as America's Got Talent, Blindspot, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and more.
• Classic TV shows from a broad library, like The Office, 30 Rock, Superstore, Downton Abbey, Frasier, Cheers, Coach, The Johnny Carson Show, Heroes, Suits, Parks and Recreation, Law & Order, and more. Shows are grouped by type (Drama, Comedy, Reality, True Crime, and so on).
• Peacock original series, like the Brave New World, The Capture, Cleopatra In Space, Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, In Deep with Ryan Lochte, Lost Speedways, and more, plus the reboots of Battlestar Galactica, Saved By the Bell, Punky Brewster, and much more.
• WWE Wrestling, giving you access to original series, documentaries, and shows from the WWE archives, as well as live WWE pay-per-view events, like WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and more included at no extra charge.
• News from NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, NBCLX, and more.
• Sports, including programming from the Golf Channel, Ryder Cup, Premier League, Tour de France, some events from the Beijing Olympics, the NFL Wild Card Game, and updates from various sports.
• Movies, including Peacock originals and hundreds of past theatrical releases, from Universal Pictures, Lionsgate Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation, and Illumination. Examples: Short Term 12, Geostorm, Party Monster, Grown Ups, Texas Chainsaw, Jigsaw, Do the Right Thing, Hitch, Wanderlust, Snowpiercer, and more
• Latino programs and news provided by Telemundo, including 100 Días Para Enamorarnos, Celia, Cennet, Enemigo Intimo, La Doña, Minuto Para Ganar, Noticias Telemundo, and much more.
• Kids' shows, including movies and Peacock original series for kids (Cleopatra in Space, Where's Waldo, Curious George, and more).

Our Final Take

NBCUniversal's entry into the streaming world is a robust one, with many hours of current material as well as dozens of old favorites, and you can sample Peacock with the free tier. Movie fans and binge-watchers will likely want to pay for a higher tier of service, which can be previewed with a seven-day free trial. 

Either way, there's a lot to like about Peacock; even the Peacock Premium service at $5/mo. is wallet-friendly, especially considering the wide variety of content available. Hate commercials? Then try out the $10/mo. plan instead and see if it is worthwhile. 

Roku's interface makes it easy to access Peacock content quickly and conveniently, and although one sticking point for some viewers could be the lack of 4K content, the volume of movies, TV shows, originals, sports, and live TV here overcomes that disadvantage in our view.

Learn more about Peacock