Peacock raises prices by 18 percent after becoming profitable

# Peacock raises prices by 18 percent after becoming profitable Source: [https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/08/peacock-raises-prices-by-18-percent-after-becoming-profitable/](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/08/peacock-raises-prices-by-18-percent-after-becoming-profitable/) For the fourth time in four years, Peacock has raised its prices\. The Select plan, which has ads and doesn’t include sports, movies, or Peacock originals, went from $8/month to $9/month\. The monthly fee for the standard ad plan \(Premium\) went from $11/month to $13/month, and the ad\-free plan \(Premium Plus\) went from $17/month to $20/month\. Annual pricing, as previously, offers 12 months for the price of 10 months\. Peacock’s previous price hike was in July 2025, when the middle tier \(with ads\) went from $8/month to $11/month, and the ad\-free plan increased from $14 to $17\. Peacock also raised prices in July 2024 and August 2023\. NBCUniversal launched the service in 2020\. The streaming service turned its first quarterly profit in Q2 2026 with $189 million in adjusted EBITDA\. During that quarter, Peacock saw revenue from subscriptions increase over 50 percent and advertising revenue rise nearly 70 percent, Comcast CFO Jason Armstrong said during a call with investors in July, according to[a transcript](https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2026/07/23/comcast-cmcsa-q2-2026-earnings-call-transcript/)\. Peacock also gained 2 million subscribers in Q2 and now has 48 million\. But just because Peacock is now profitable, it can’t necessarily expect the same level of success in upcoming quarters\. In the call with investors, Comcast co\-CEO Michael Cavanagh said he expects Peacock’s profitability to improve on an annual basis but vary from quarter to quarter, with profits depending on what content, such as sporting events and shows, debuts each quarter\. NBCUniversal must also keep Peacock profitable amid big, ongoing spending on live events, including an 11\-year deal under which the company will pay $2\.5 billion a year to air about[50 NBA games exclusively](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/15/nbc-nba-media-rights-key-for-peacock-streaming-growth.html)on Peacock, along with distribution rights for NBCU’s other distribution platforms, including broadcast channels\. The company has made other large investments in sporting events, including Sunday Night Football and the Premier League\. Higher prices could theoretically help fund more programming\. But with Peacock only recently becoming profitable, it’s possible that the annual price hikes could continue being the norm\.