Peacock’s New Premium Plan Lets You Pay Extra to Still Watch Ads, and Reddit is Having an Absolute Field Day
In a move that is so aggressively late-stage capitalism it practically has a monacle and a top hat, NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock has announced a brand new, groundbreaking subscription tier. For the low, low price of slightly more money, you too can enjoy the exact same ad-supported experience you already had, but now with the added privilege of knowing you paid extra for the honor.
I know, I know. Take a deep breath. Let the aneurysm pass.
On Tuesday, Peacock unrolled its latest masterstroke of corporate genius: the “Premium Plus” plan, which for $11.99 a month (up from the previous $9.99 for regular Premium Plus) will… wait for it… still show you ads. But not all ads. Just *some* ads. Specifically, ads for their own content and “select sponsors.” It’s like paying for a first-class ticket only to find out the seat is still in coach, but now the flight attendant is legally allowed to call you “sir.”
Let’s break this down for the people in the back who are still trying to figure out how to cancel their gym membership. Previously, Peacock had three tiers:
1. **Peacock Free:** Ads. Everywhere. Like a digital Times Square.
2. **Peacock Premium ($4.99/mo):** A lot of content, but you’re still getting hammered with ads. The “I’m too poor for Netflix but too proud for antenna TV” special.
3. **Peacock Premium Plus ($9.99/mo):** Ad-free. Or so we thought. Turns out, you were still getting ads for NBC shows, promos for “The Voice,” and your local car dealership’s spectacular Memorial Day blowout sale. But hey, no ads for hemorrhoid cream, right?
Now, with the new, improved Premium Plus, you pay $11.99 a month, and the only thing that changes is that the ads are slightly less annoying because they’re all for things NBCUniversal owns. Congratulations, you’ve paid an extra $2 a month to watch a 30-second spot for the new season of *Law & Order: SVU* instead of a 30-second spot for a new flavor of Doritos.
The official Peacock press release, which was almost certainly written by an intern who was told to “make it sound good” while staring into the abyss, states: “With Premium Plus, subscribers will continue to enjoy an enhanced experience with limited interruptions from select sponsors and promotional content for Peacock’s own programming.” In other words: “We heard you liked ads. So we put ads in your ad-free experience. Now pay more.”
Reddit, as you can imagine, has already declared this the “Single Greatest Act of Greed in Human History” and is currently holding a trial by jury for the Peacock CEO in the r/WallStreetBets subreddit.
The top post on r/television is titled: “Peacock announces new ‘Premium Plus’ plan that costs more and still has ads. What’s next, a ‘Gold’ tier that just gives you a certificate saying you’re a good subscriber?” The top comment, predictably, is some variation of: “I would rather lick a subway turnstile than pay Peacock $12 a month to still watch ads for *The Office*.”
Another user on r/mildlyinfuriating posted a screenshot of the pricing page with the caption: “I’m starting to think the ‘Peacock’ in the logo is actually a vulture.” A third user, clearly a man of science, conducted a detailed breakdown: “So for $4.99 you get ads. For $11.99 you get… fewer ads? But they’re still there. So essentially you’re paying a 140% premium to have the ads curated. This is like paying a chef to burn your steak instead of just burning it yourself.”
The real kicker? This is happening in a streaming landscape that is already a dumpster fire. Netflix is cracking down on password sharing. Disney+ is raising prices and merging with Hulu into a monolith that will one day consume the Earth. Max (formerly HBO Max) is removing shows from its platform for tax write-offs. And now Peacock has decided to innovate by… making the ad experience worse for the people who paid to avoid it.
It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for them.
The logic, presumably, is that the “select sponsors” are paying Peacock a boatload of cash to guarantee that their ads reach the demographic of people who are wealthy enough to pay $12 a month for a streaming service. So instead of showing you an ad for a new car, you get an ad for a new NBC show. It’s the same garbage, just wrapped in a slightly shinier wrapper.
But let’s be real: this is just the testing ground. If Peacock can get away with this, every other streamer is going to take notice. Next year, we’ll see a “Disney+ Premium Platinum” tier that costs $19.99 a month and still shows you an ad for *The Little Mermaid* live-action remake before every single Pixar movie. It’s the streaming equivalent of a landlord charging you a “convenience fee” for using the front door.
And the worst part? They know we’re all going to complain, post about it on Reddit, and then grudgingly sign up because we have to watch *The Traitors* season finale or we’ll die. That’s the real tragedy. We’re all just NPCs in the great video game of corporate profit. We scream into the void, and the void responds by raising the price and adding more commercials.
So congratulations, Peacock. You’ve managed to create a subscription tier that is the epitome of the modern American experience: paying more for less and being told you should be grateful for the privilege. Truly, you are the *Maisel* of the streaming wars—except instead of a beautiful dress,
Final Thoughts
Having followed the arc of the peacock's cultural symbolism from ancient myth to modern meme, it’s clear that this bird is far more than just a living ornament. Its iridescent plumage, while a burden for survival, is a masterclass in evolutionary theater—a bold gamble that sheer beauty can outweigh the cost. Ultimately, the peacock’s enduring power lies in its defiant refusal to be subtle, reminding us that in a world of camouflage, the most radical act can be to simply be seen.