Peacock and Paramount+ advertising differ most in two ways for a small business. Peacock has the larger ad-supported share, with 77% of subscribers on its ad plan compared with 37% for Paramount+. Paramount+ is easier to buy on your own through the self-serve Paramount Ads Manager, though Paramount+ inventory itself requires a $5,000 or $10,000 campaign.
How we compared Peacock and Paramount+
We compared both services on five points:
- audience size
- the share of that audience on an ad-supported plan
- the ad formats each sells
- the minimum spend to get on screen
- the routes a small business can use to buy
Every figure carries the date and scope its source gives it. When two numbers come from different periods or measure different things, we say so and don’t line them up as equals. This comparison does not pick an overall winner. The better choice depends on your budget and how much of the buying you want to do yourself.
We make Adwave, which is a third way to buy streaming TV. Adwave runs TV ads alongside search and social from one daily budget, and we cover it in its own section below. Adwave does not let you guarantee placement on Peacock or Paramount+, and the Adwave FAQ says your budget, audience, creative and settings determine which channels can run. For other head-to-head matchups, see our other advertising platform comparisons.
Audience size and ad-supported share
Peacock has the newer and more precisely dated subscriber figures. Paramount+ has a larger reported subscriber base, but its most recent figure here dates from before a major ownership change.
| Measure | Peacock | Paramount+ |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 46 million paid US subscribers, Q1 2026; 48 million, Q2 2026 | 77 million, Q2 2025 (before the Skydance merger) |
| Share on ad-supported plan | 77% | 37% |
| Ad-supported viewing | More than 15 million hours a day (NBCUniversal) | No comparable figure found |
The Peacock Q1 2026 count of 46 million paid US subscribers comes from Comcast’s trending schedule, as charted by Statista. Resourcera’s Peacock statistics roundup, last updated July 2026, puts the Q2 2026 figure at 48 million, up 17% year over year. The same roundup reports the ad-supported split: 77% of Peacock subscribers on the ad plan and 23% ad-free, compared with 37% and 63% for Paramount+. For Paramount+, the 77 million subscribers in Q2 2025 come from Quantumrun’s streaming market statistics, which dates that figure to before the Skydance Media merger.
Don’t read 77 million against 48 million as a like-for-like comparison. The Peacock numbers are 2026 counts, and the Statista series is limited to the US. The Paramount+ number dates from Q2 2025, a year earlier. The ad-supported share is the more useful figure for an advertiser. A larger subscriber base on Paramount+ still leaves fewer than four in ten of those subscribers seeing ads, while most Peacock subscribers see them.
NBCUniversal’s own Peacock advertising page adds a measure of usage: more than 15 million hours of ad-supported viewing every day.
Ad formats on each service
Both services sell standard in-break video, which is what a small budget usually buys. Both also offer premium placements, and those are generally sold to larger direct buyers.
| Format type | Peacock | Paramount+ |
|---|---|---|
| Standard video | In-break video ads | VAST video (third-party or site-served) |
| Takeover or first-position | Arrival Ad on the profile selection screen; Spotlight, which puts your ad in the first standard break for all viewers for 24 hours | Streaming Fixed Units, which tie an advertiser to new episode drops |
| Pause and interactive | Frame Ad and In-Scene Ad (announced earlier) | CTV pause ads, Skybox, branded canvas |
| Short brand units | Mindful Moments, a :10 at the end of the ad break | Separate pricing for shorter or longer lengths on Fixed Units |
NBCUniversal lists Arrival Ad, Spotlight and Mindful Moments on the Peacock advertising page. It also says these “ad innovations” drive “1.7x higher ROAS than Standard media.” That claim comes from the seller, and the page publishes no method for it. Adweek covered the launch of Peacock’s Frame and In-Scene ads at an earlier NewFronts, when Frame Ads let a brand surround the viewing screen with messaging and In-Scene Ads placed brands into show moments.
Paramount publishes specs for its digital ad formats, including video, CTV pause ads, Skybox display, native, standard display, Paramount Branded Canvas and social-to-CTV. Marketing Brew reported in October 2025 that Paramount’s Streaming Fixed Units are 30 seconds long by default and play in standard breaks. It gave the second break of a Paramount+ show as an example, with 90 seconds of ad time, or three 30-second slots.
For a local business, the practical choice on either service is a standard 15- or 30-second spot in a regular ad break. Arrival, Spotlight and Fixed Units are built for brands that buy whole days or episode launches.
Minimum spend and how a small business buys each
Paramount has published self-serve minimums. Peacock is bought mainly through NBCUniversal’s sales team or through programmatic platforms.
| Route | Peacock | Paramount+ |
|---|---|---|
| Self-serve ads manager | No published self-serve minimum found | Paramount Ads Manager: Core $150 (Pluto TV and TV Everywhere only, no Paramount+); Expanded $5,000 (select Paramount+ library); Full $10,000 (full Paramount+ library) |
| Direct sales | NBCUniversal sales team | Paramount Advertising sales team |
| Programmatic (DSP) | Available; DSPs such as Adobe Advertising carry Peacock creative specs | Available; DSPs carry Paramount specs |
| SMB platform | Comcast Universal Ads (NBCUniversal is a partner) | Comcast Universal Ads (Paramount joined in January 2025) |
The tier minimums for Paramount Ads Manager come from Innovative Tomato’s guide to self-serve streaming ads, which lists them as minimum total campaign spend. The $150 entry tier excludes Paramount+, so a $150 campaign runs on Pluto TV and TV Everywhere placements. If your goal is Paramount+ specifically, plan for at least $5,000 per campaign. Our guide to advertising on Pluto TV covers what that Core tier actually reaches.
Paramount Ads Manager accepts a finished video. Its CTV tech specs page also lets you choose “Add Creative Later” if your ad isn’t ready yet. You still need a TV-ready ad before the campaign can run.
NBCUniversal’s Peacock advertising page does not list a self-serve minimum. Adobe Advertising’s ad specifications page, updated October 2, 2026, links to Peacock’s creative guidelines and Paramount’s specs. That means both services can be bought programmatically through a demand-side platform (DSP), which is software that buys ad inventory across many publishers. DSP access usually comes through an agency or a managed-service partner, and each one sets its own minimums.
Marketing Brew also reported that in January 2025 Paramount joined Roku and NBCUniversal as partners on Comcast’s Universal Ads platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Roku is another self-serve option, and Innovative Tomato lists a $500 minimum campaign spend for Roku Ads Manager. Roku’s “Other Streaming Apps” setting can include Peacock and Paramount+, but you can’t pick them individually. See how Roku’s self-serve ads compare for details.
Where Adwave fits as a buying route
Adwave buys streaming TV as one part of a campaign that also runs on search and social, from a single daily budget. The terms below are as of November 2026, per the Adwave pricing page:
- Budget: campaigns start at $30 a day, paid from a prepaid wallet, with no subscription or contract.
- Channels at $30 a day: TV, Google Search, Facebook and Instagram.
- Channels with higher thresholds: Reddit from about $35 a day, and TikTok from $91 a day. TikTok is opt-in.
- Creative: campaign ads are made from your website and included. Extra creation is charged, for example $12 per additional 30-second TV spot.
- Reviewing before you pay: you can preview your ads before adding a card. New accounts start with an empty wallet, and you deposit funds before launch.
- Fees: card deposits add the processing fee shown at checkout, and ACH deposits have no added fee, per the Adwave FAQ.
Adwave has real limits for a buyer who wants these two services specifically. The Adwave FAQ says your budget, audience, creative, settings and content eligibility determine which channels can run, so you can’t count on a specific app such as Peacock or Paramount+. If seeing your ad inside a particular show matters to you, a direct or self-serve buy with that publisher gives you more control. If you care more about calls and site visits than about which app showed the ad, read our guide to measuring what streaming TV ads drive before you commit budget to any route.
Which one fits your business
- Peacock suits you if you want an audience that mostly watches with ads and you can buy through a DSP, an agency or a partner platform. The 77% ad-supported share means more of its subscribers can see your spot. The tradeoffs are that there is no published self-serve minimum and that you need TV-ready creative.
- Paramount Ads Manager suits you if you want to run the campaign yourself and see a published price before you start. Getting on Paramount+ itself starts at $5,000 per campaign, and the full library starts at $10,000. The $150 tier is a low-cost test, but it runs on Pluto TV and TV Everywhere only.
- A multichannel route such as Adwave suits you if your budget is daily and modest, starting from $30 a day, and you want streaming TV running alongside search and social more than you want one named app. You give up control over the specific publisher and access to its premium formats.
To see how streaming fits next to other channels at your spend level, start with choosing channels by budget. Our overview of TV advertising for small businesses covers creative and targeting basics across broadcast and streaming.
