NBCUniversal is preparing to introduce a premium, mobile-first news platform in late 2025. The announcement was made by Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, at a Semafor event on February 27, 2025. The service will reportedly offer approximately 24 content streams focusing on lifestyle, true crime, and global news, drawing material from existing NBC News programs and emphasizing short-form video clips.
It will also provide users with access to NBCU-owned podcasts and unspecified additional perks for members across NBC News Digital properties. While described as “mobile-first,” the platform's approach to adapting content originally designed for 16:9 screens to a vertical video format remains unclear. NBCU has yet to reveal a name, precise launch date, or pricing.
NBC already operates a free streaming service, NBC News Now, along with offerings like “Today All Day” and “Dateline 24/7,” and provides free access to news streams from its owned stations. NBC News has prior experience with mobile news, launching “Stay Tuned” in 2017. Initially on Snapchat, it expanded to other platforms and even a horizontal version, “Stay Tuned Now,” on NBC News Now. The organization also partnered with Quibi, a short-lived mobile-first video platform.
This new venture could be viewed as NBC “doubling down” on streaming, targeting audiences who prefer mobile-friendly, short-form video. This news follows reports that YouTube now sees more viewers on connected TVs than mobile devices, though mobile video consumption persists. YouTube's data is platform-specific, and metrics may vary across other services. YouTube also noted the increase in vertical video and shorts viewership on connected TVs.
Comcast, NBCU’s parent company, is currently spinning off most of its cable properties, including MSNBC and CNBC, into a separate entity. While no direct link has been established between this spin-off and the new mobile-first service, it could be seen as a way for NBCU to expand its offerings proactively.