'Days of Our Lives' to Leave Broadcast Television, Head to Peacock

‘SNL’, ‘The Voice’, and Other NBC Shows to Stream on Peacock Instead of Hulu — Popular Hulu shows such as The Voice and SNL will now streaming its new season on Peacock as NBC claims it back from Hulu. David McNew/ Getty Images

Fans who used to be able to watch "Days of Our Lives" on TV for free will now have to pay for a streaming service in order to see what happens in the show's fictional town of Salem.

It Will Be Peacock Exclusive

"Days of Our Lives," a popular soap opera that has been on NBC for 57 years, will move entirely to Peacock, the company announced, according to a news story of The Verge.

"This move enables us to build the show's loyal fanbase on streaming," said Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, adding that, "while simultaneously bolstering the network daytime offering with an urgent, live programming opportunity for partners and consumers."

Starting on Sept. 12, new episodes of "Days of Our Lives" will air.

Other TV Shows Moved to Streaming Platforms

Disney revealed in April that "Dancing With the Stars" will be available on Disney Plus, and the company just confirmed on Wednesday that season 31 would begin on Sept. 19. This marked the first live series to debut exclusively on the streaming service.

Disney's broadcast TV network, ABC, aired the show for 30 seasons during a 16-year period. The company's determination to increase the number of subscribers to its premium streaming service is demonstrated by the decision to migrate one of ABC's largest live TV series to Disney Plus, according to a separate The Verge report.

In Depth: What Is Peacock?

Android Authority noted that Peacock is NBCUniversal's premium video streaming service. The premium video streaming service operated by NBCUniversal is called Peacock. In the middle of 2020, the media company debuted the service. Numerous brand-new TV series and movies are available exclusively with this streaming platform. As was previously stated, "Days of Our Lives" will now be an exclusive Peacock offering.

Peacock had roughly 54 million subscribers as of the end of July 2021, as per Android Authority.

How Can You Access Peacock?

Peacock operates similarly to other streaming services; you simply log in or launch the app on your phone, then choose the video you wish to view.

Currently, only those in the U.S. can use the streaming app. However, broadcasters in Canada have obtained licenses for some of their original content, as per Android Authority.

The service is anticipated to debut in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and the U.K. somewhere in the fourth quarter of 2021 thanks to a partnership between Sky and Comcast. A service dubbed SkyShowtime will be introduced by Comcast and ViacomCBS in 20 minor European nations in 2022, which will include original content from Peacock.