I never considered YouTube Premium until Peacock changed everything

Dan Girolamo

Wed, August 12, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC

YouTube Premium has never piqued my interest. While I use YouTube daily, I'm content with ad-supported videos. Plus, my music streaming service of choice is Spotify. Therefore, YouTube Music is a luxury that I don't need right now.

Apologies for the music pun, but I'm starting to sing a different tune when it comes to YouTube Premium. Now, I'm finally considering YouTube Premium as a subscription service to add to my monthly expenses. While ad-free streaming and music are certainly selling points, they're not the main element driving my curiosity about YouTube Premium.

Much to my dismay, my interest in YouTube Premium has everything to do with the addition of Peacock . I already subscribe to Peacock, but the new YouTube bundle has me evaluating whether I should jump to YouTube Premium.

Peacock is coming to YouTube Premium next year

YouTube makes a huge move

YouTube Premium and Peacock. — NBCUniversal

Late last month, YouTube and NBCUniversal announced a historic partnership. Starting in early 2027, Peacock Premium will be included in a bundle with YouTube Premium for eligible subscribers in the U.S.

More importantly, Peacock Premium, which is the ad-supported tier, will be available for no additional eligible YouTube Premium subscribers. If you already have YouTube Premium when this deal goes into effect next year, Peacock will be immediately available to you.

"This partnership brings NBCUniversal's world-class content and iconic franchises to YouTube's unmatched scale and global platforms," said Mike Cavanagh, Co-CEO of Comcast Corporation, in a press release . "We're excited to deepen our relationship with YouTube through a collaboration that reflects our strategy of partnering with industry leaders to drive sustained growth for NBCUniversal."

YouTube Premium currently costs $15.99/month for an individual plan and $26.99/month for a family plan.

Before this deal, Peacock Premium Plus, priced at $16.99/month, was available as a subscription through YouTube Primetime Channels since June. Later in 2026, Peacock Premium, currently $10.99/month, will also be available for purchase as a separate add-on through YouTube Primetime Channels.

Peacock boasts an underrated library of live events, movies, and shows

Sports, entertainment, and Christopher Nolan

Mix collage of The Paper, The Office, and St. Denis Medical stills.

As an American streaming service, Peacock does not have the same global footprint as Netflix or Prime Video. That being said, I don't think people realize how many valuable assets Peacock has to offer that will be available on YouTube Premium.

Peacock has become one of the most important streamers for live sporting events, which is one of the reasons why I subscribe to the service. NFL games are probably the most important assets any network can own. NBC has Sunday Night Football, the No. 1-ranked show in primetime for the last 15 years . Every Sunday Night Football game now streams on Peacock, meaning if you have YouTube Premium in 2027, you can watch select NFL games.

The NBA now has a media rights agreement with NBCUniversal, which includes exclusive games on Peacock. The NBA's deal with NBCUniversal runs through the 2035-2036 season, so if you love basketball like I do, you need Peacock.

Blazers Spurs — Dan Girolamo/How-To Geek/Peacock

Other live sports include Notre Dame football, Big Ten football, college basketball, Premier League, Kentucky Derby, WNBA, golf, and more. In 2028, the Summer Olympics are on home soil in Los Angeles, so expect NBC and Peacock to go all in on their Olympic coverage.

Do I watch all of these sporting events? I do not, but I definitely watch some and wouldn't mind having the option to watch via Peacock on YouTube. Plus, NBCUniversal is going to add select live sporting events to NBC Sports' YouTube channel.

As for TV shows, you're getting some of NBC's most popular shows of all time, including The Office , Law & Order: SVU , and Saturday Night Live . Peacock has expanded its slate of prestige dramas recently with Emmy-nominated hits like All Her Fault and The Traitors .

Matt Damon walks the beach in The Odyssey. — Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal

How many of you reading this were able to score tickets to The Odyssey ? If you're waiting to watch it again at home, then you need Peacock, which gets an exclusive four-month streaming window for Universal movies. Other popular 2026 hits currently on Peacock include Obsession and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie .

So when Nolan's epic retelling of Homer's poem arrives on streaming, it will first go to Peacock. As someone who loves The Odyssey and wants to revisit many of its scenes, it's in my best interest to keep my Peacock subscription.

I have Peacock, but do I need YouTube Premium?

The streaming landscape is rapidly changing

Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek | DenPhotos / Shutterstock

I've never subscribed to YouTube Premium, but the fact that I'm even considering it speaks volumes to the changing streaming landscape. As a sports fan, I have Peacock to watch top NBA and NFL games. Both leagues have also aired playoff games on NBCUniversal platforms, giving me yet another reason to have Peacock.

I'm someone who believes in streaming bundles. Purchasing individual subscriptions to streaming services is an outdated practice . Why buy one streaming service at full price when I can get a combination of three for a discount? I currently have a Netflix-HBO Max bundle and a Hulu-Disney+ bundle. I don't see myself ever going back to the old way of buying streaming services separately.

I'm now looking at YouTube Premium as part of a bundle with Peacock. Though I might value Peacock more, adding YouTube Premium to my streaming rotation could still be worthwhile. Spotify has been my music streaming service of choice, but I do see the appeal of the ad-free experience on YouTube Music. Furthermore, downloading YouTube videos and watching them offline is something I would take advantage of since I'm always traveling.

The jump to YouTube Premium is a debate worth having

Thankfully, I still have some time before Peacock is added to YouTube Premium in 2027. Paying $15.99/month for YouTube Premium and Peacock might be worth the investment for me. I don't expect Peacock to be YouTube's only major move, either. The battle between YouTube and Netflix has only just begun.

Check out Yahoo's latest streaming advice, based on hands-on testing.

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