NBCUniversal is expecting to launch a mobile-first news outlet in the fourth quarter of this year from NBC News, TheWrap has learned.
Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal’s news operations, announced the news at an event organized by Semafor on Thursday. The upcoming service is being described as an additive premium experience and will be aimed at mobile users. It will reportedly feature nearly two dozen live streams in English and Spanish that will focus on lifestyle, true crime and international content. Additionally, it will include on-demand access to NBC programs like “Meet the Press,” “Today,” “Nightly News” and “Dateline” as well as access to NBC News’ podcast library. There will be additional benefits to subscribers across NBC News’ free digital platforms.
Condé noted the new service will complement the company’s other streaming offerings, such as NBC News Now and Today All Day. A free streaming service, NBC News Now launched in 2019. That was followed the next year by the free 24-hour streaming service Today All Day.
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NBC News isn’t the only major news outlet that’s trying its hand at streaming once more. Earlier this year, Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson sent a memo to staff saying that CNN would be launching a subscription-based streaming product that would be distinct from Max. Both CNN and Max share a parent company in Warner Bros. Discovery.
This announcement comes as short-form video platforms, like TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, become more and more popular among Gen Z. Roughly 64% of Gen Z users admitted to using TikTok as a search engine, according to an Adobe study released in 2024. Google was still the reigning champion of the study when it came to platforms users found most helpful when searching for information with 91% of users saying they used the search engine for that purpose. But TikTok came in fourth place at 17%, following behind YouTube (39%) and Bing (21%).
