HOW TO WATCH DAYS ON PEACOCK TV! by Suzanne
Friday, September 9 is the last date that “Days of Our Lives” will air on NBC! We’re sure you’ve already heard this by now. It’s moving to PeacockTV! It will start airing there Sept. 12.
Feeling lost? Don’t worry, we’re all in this same boat! Most of us didn’t grow up with streaming technology and streaming TV shows. We’re here to help you. We know – you just want to keep watching your favorite soap, but you’re not sure how this all works.
First, you might find your answers here in this article about streaming. Go read that first! Don’t worry if it’s still confusing.
PeacockTV is a streaming service owned by NBC/Universal. They also own NBC, Syfy, USA Network, E! Telemundo and other cable networks. PeacockTV is neither a broadcast network like NBC, nor is it a cable network like the others. It’s online only; AKA streaming. That means you must have some kind of internet in order to access it. Now, you may have that internet already and not realize it. If you’re on Facebook, do email, or get Netflix on your SmartTV, then you probably already have it.
If you’re completely confused about all of this, I would recommend that you find someone you know that is tech-savvy (possibly a son, daughter, nephew, niece or grandchild, or whomever you call when you have computer or electronic problems) and get them to set it up for you. It will save you a lot of hassle and headaches.
PeacockTV is just another streaming service, like Netflix, HULU, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, Disney+ and others. These services are only accessible via the internet, but they’re a lot more so than they used to be. Did you know that people over 50 are the fastest-growing audience for streaming services? So you’re not alone.
Now, you may decide that it’s too expensive to have a streaming service. That’s up to you, of course. You may also consider getting rid of your cable or satellite and just having a few streaming services. Some of them, like HULU and YouTube, have live TV… not just movies and TV shows that you can watch any time. Also, a lot of services are doing bundling now to make them cheaper, so you might want to go to Google and research what options you have.
At any rate, “Days of Our Lives” is moving to PeacockTV as of Sept. 12 and will no longer be available on NBC at all. The upside is that you will probably be able to watch it sooner than you could before. Most TV shows on streaming drop in the early morning. Also, you can watch them at any time after that – no more having to use your DVR, DVD recorder or VCR if you want to keep a copy for later. Lastly, you can watch many older Days episodes as well as thousands of other shows.
There are three different choices for Peacock services: Free, Premium and Premium Plus. Unfortunately, you can’t watch Days on the Free plan. The whole reason they’re moving it to PeacockTV is because they can no longer afford to air it for free. (More on that below.) You can only watch it by subscribing to the Premium service, which is $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year if you pay ahead of time. The second one is cheaper. If you get Premium Plus, you will have no commercials. There are other benefits as well, so click on the link to see the options.
However, if you sign up in September, 2022, as a new member, you can get the premium service for only $1.99 a month or just $19.99 for a year. Great deal!
The easiest way to sign up is on a computer, if you have one. Go to https://www.peacocktv.com and put in your email address to sign up for the free service. From there, you can check it out and see how it works. OR you can scroll down and click on the purple boxes for Premium or Plus. This will take you to a page with a form to fill out. Once you’ve created your account, you’ll need to give them a credit card for the payment.
If you don’t have a computer, then you can use your phone or tablet. Simply download the Peacock app; once it’s installed, open it and register there the same way as described above. If you have an Android device, then you can find apps in the Play Store. If you have an Apple iPhone or iPad, then your apps are in iTunes. (Again, you can get help from someone if you don’t know how to do this) Android has help, and so does Apple. Your cell phone provider may also be of help. For instance, if your phone is with Verizon, you can phone Verizon technical support for help.
If you want to watch Peacock on your TV, then you’ll need a Smart TV or some external device that attaches to your TV, such as a ROKU or Firestick. These are pretty cheap. You can find them very cheap at Wal-Mart or Amazon.
I have a ROKU, and it’s very easy to connect to your TV. I’ve heard that the Firestick is also very easy. With both of these devices, you can watch many streaming channels, not just PeacockTV (and there are many free ones as well).
If you have a computer, you can also hook it up to your TV using an HDMI cable or by using a Google Chromecast device to stream from your computer to your TV. An HDMI cable is pretty cheap. If your laptop doesn’t have an HDMI port, you may need to get an adapter.
Once you have it hooked up, and you’re watching PeacockTV, do a search for “Days of Our Lives” if it’s not already showing up near the top. When you’re there in the Days section, Click on “My Stuff” and then you’ll always have it there in that list, easy to access.
If you need any help, you go to their help page. If you can’t find what you need there, go to this page for live chat or to send them a message. Feel free to contact us if you need further help!
If you already have the free Peacock plan, then you need to upgrade. There should be a link on the Peacock app or site on your device that says “account” or if you’re on a computer, go to https://www.peacocktv.com/account/plans Click on “change or cancel plans.” It should be obvious from there…. if you’re on the free version, you might have to add your credit card in order to upgrade.
There are many rumors flying around the internet about this move. NBC/Universal is not trying to be “greedy.” They have a business to run, like anyone else. They’re in the TV business. Whenever they air a TV show, they have pay for it by getting money from sponsors (commercials). If the show’s ratings are too low, then they can’t get money from the sponsors. Their local affiliates will not want to air low-rated shows, either. If they can get more money by airing local shows or re-runs, they will. By moving Days to Peacock, they’re trying to save it rather than cancel it. They’re well aware that it has a long history and millions of fans worldwide. However, right now barely over a million people actually watch it every day. (It’s not just Days that has low ratings – all the daytime soaps are doing poorly in the ratings) They’re hoping that moving it to Peacock will bring more subscribers and more viewers to the show. Boycotting NBC or sending them nasty letters will not do any good (even if that makes you feel good).
I’m sure that the network is sad that they will lose some viewers because some won’t be able to watch Days any more because they can’t afford the extra fee or because they don’t have dependable internet. They didn’t have a choice, though, to keep it on NBC… it was this or cancel it. They’re a business and must sometimes make these tough decisions. It’s not fair, we know…but it’s not fair to expect them to keep losing money, either.
The show will be available on the W Network and other places in Canada. Click on the link to see the details. For other countries, Google it to find out!