NBCU Opens News Nets to All Pay TV Subscribers

By Jon Lafayette
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

NBCUniversal said that it was making its news channels, MSNBC and CNBC, available to all video customers through the coronavirus crisis.

The TV stations owned by NBCU--NBC and Telemundo affiliates--will be streaming their local newscasts, as well as coronavirus-related press conferences. The newscasts are available free and unauthenticated.

The company also said that NBC News Now, the free online streaming service, would be showing more material from NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC.

Related: COVID-19: The Story of a Lifetime

Earlier this week, Fox announced that it would be making its TV stations and Fox News available to all viewers, whether or not they’re pay TV subscribers. To watch NBCU’s channels, a viewer must authenticate by providing a pay TV password.

News viewing has spiked since the coronavirus became a crisis, particularly with live sports being unavailable to sports fans.

In a statement, NBCU said it is "committed to providing a public service during the coronavirus pandemic, generating awareness and ensuring all U.S. households receive the latest news and information on the evolving global situations."

Related: Five TV Sectors Impacted by COVID-19

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.