Hey, Peacock may not boast as many subscribers as Netflix or HBO Max or Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video, but it’s trying, OK?! The service has been spotted attempting to appeal to subscribers’ hearts and wallets through something called the “Peacock Movie Benefits Test,†a program that gives Premium and Premium Plus subscribers either a free monthly movie ticket or a video rental, through Fandango or Vudu, respectively. It’s a value of $15 per ticket and $7 per rental, every month; Peacock Premium, remember, goes for $5 a month. After about three months, that test has evolved into the “Summer Test,†which has begun rolling out the same offer to free subscribers, if they choose to upgrade their accounts by June 13.
Importantly, it’s not a given that you’re eligible for the freebie, even if you pay for Peacock. The offers, as of now, are only open to select subscribers who have received an official invitation email to participate. But if the experiment works out for Peacock, it could lead to a future where subscribers get a version of the freebie regularly. (Like Peacock, Fandango and Vudu are owned by Comcast.) Hopefully something like that arrives sooner rather than later. Peacock hit 28 million users in Q1, with 13 million paid subscribers, a number inarguably buoyed by tentpole programming like the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics. And while you can watch any movie with a free ticket, Comcast is probably hoping you pick Minions: The Rise of Gru.