Free Streaming Service NBC News Now Launches Today

NBC is debuting its free, ad-supported streaming news service this week, positioning it to marketers as a way to reach a new generation of news consumers who are likely already updated on the news but not yet deeply informed. according to AdAge.

Programming on the over-the-top service is being designed to look more like something you’d see on digital. But from an advertising perspective, at least initially, NBC News Now will more closely resemble traditional TV.

NBC’s service has about four ad breaks every hour running about two minutes each, making the commercial time comparable to traditional TV. “NBC Nightly News,” for example, airs about three-and-a-half minutes of commercials in its half-hour broadcast.

But NBC News Now is promising a much younger audience, between the ages of 25-45, who may not have access to a pay-TV service.

NBC News Now launches Wednesday with eight hours of daily programming from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, with the goal of becoming a 24-7 streaming news channel.

NBC News Now joins a growing arena of streaming news services, including CBS’ 24-7 OTT channel CBSN, Fox News’ Fox Nation and ABC News Live.