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NBC Plans Streaming News Service Aimed at Younger Viewers

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If NBC couldn’t attract streamers with comedy, maybe news will work.

While the broadcaster's last attempt at a streaming service didn’t end well (comedy subscription service SeeSo lasted under two years and was shuttered in November 2017), NBC now thinks news is the way to attract younger streamers. The company told reporters it's creating an online-only news service aimed at young people, and the service may debut in 2018 according to Andrew Lack, chairman of NBC News, quoted in Variety.

This won't be NBC's first experiment with online news streaming. The broadcaster is a major investor with Snap, and offers a news channel called "Stay Tuned" on Snapchat. The Los Angeles Times reports that "Stay Tuned" is seen by 33 million people each month, and three-quarters of the audience is under 25.

When the upcoming service launches, it will have plenty of online competition. CBS offers CBSN, which combines broadcast and online original content. Fox recently announced it will start a subscription service called Fox Nation. And Bloomberg streams original reporting on TicToc, a 24-hour video news channel available through Twitter.

The new service will be available to viewers who don't have a pay TV subscription. NBC hasn't decided yet if it will monetize the upcoming service through subscriptions, ads, or both.

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