A Peacock Premium Plus subscription is the cheapest way to watch NBC without cable. For those on the hunt for a live TV package that includes NBC, the Sling Blue package from Sling TV is going to be the cheapest option, providing you live in a market where Sling offers NBC.
Technically, NBC is available to watch for free by using an antenna to access a home’s local over-the-air station. In addition to requiring additional hardware, it is possible that some may encounter signal issues, depending on their location and the strength of the antenna.
While streaming NBC can be a more reliable option for many homes, there’s currently no way to stream the live NBC channel for free, outside of taking advantage of a short free trial.
Cheapest Way To Stream NBC Without A Live TV Plan
Peacock began offering local NBC affiliates to subscribers in late 2022, making it possible to access NBC stations without the need for a live TV package.
While Peacock offers two main Premium plans, the availability of NBC is reserved for those signed up to the Premium Plus plan. As a result, the cheapest way to stream NBC is $13.99 a month.
$8-14/mo
- Live Channels
- Live Sports
- NBC & Bravo Shows
Peacock determines the local NBC station based on the geolocation of the streaming device accessing the service. In other words, consumers don’t get access to the national NBC channel, and cannot choose which local NBC station they have access to.
Cheapest Way To Stream NBC With A Live TV Plan
At $40 a month, Sling TV is the cheapest way to watch NBC with a live TV streaming package. While Sling TV also offers two main plans — Sling Blue and Sling Orange — Sling Blue is the only plan that includes NBC in its lineup.
$40-55/mo
- 30+ channels
- 1-3 streams
- 50-Hour DVR
Deal: First month only $20.
It is worth noting that NBC through Sling Blue is not currently available in all locations in the United States. Due to this, consumers may want to check and make sure their local NBC station is available through Sling before signing up.
Sling Blue includes NBC in the following markets:
- Boston (WBTS)
- Chicago (WMAQ)
- Dallas/Fort Worth (KXAS)
- Hartford/New Haven (WVIT)
- Los Angeles (KNBC)
- Miami/Fort Lauderdale (WTVJ)
- New York (WNBC)
- Philadelphia (WCAU)
- San Diego (KNSD)
- San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose (KNTV)
- Washington, DC (WRC)
In addition to NBC, the Sling Blue package unlocks access to more 40 live TV channels overall. This is in addition to the ability to stream on multiple devices at the same time, and 50 hours of DVR for recordings.
In areas where ABC is also available, a $5 additional fee is added to the cost of the Sling Blue package, taking the minimum price up to $45 a month in these locations.
Other Live TV Options For Streaming NBC
If Sling TV doesn’t meet your needs, or doesn’t offer NBC in your area, there are other options available. All of the live TV streaming services listed below offer live TV packages that include NBC.
$80-165/mo
- 90-185 channels
- Unlimited streams
- Unlimited DVR
Deal: Get DirecTV Stream for as low as $49.99/month for 3 months.
$80-100/mo
- 195-270 channels
- 10 streams
- Unlimited DVR
Note: Fubo charges an additional regional sports fee in many locations in the United States. Depending on the location and number of available RSNs, this fee could add as much as $15 a month to the base plan price.
$77/mo
- 95+ channels
- Basic Hulu
- Disney+
- ESPN+
$73/mo
- 100+ channels
- 3 streams
- Unlimited DVR
Deal: Pay $65/mo for first 4 months
NBC And TV Everywhere
One of the benefits of signing up to a live TV plan that includes NBC is the added ability to log in to the NBC website and app to watch the live channel and additional on demand content.
This is made possible through the use of TV Everywhere support. TV Everywhere allows live TV subscribers to log in with their live TV account details to unlock access to any content available through a network’s app and website. In this case, the NBC app and website.
While there can sometimes be problems with certain live TV providers not offering TV Everywhere support for every channel they carry, that’s not an issue with NBC. DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV all currently provide subscribers with TV Everywhere support for NBC.
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