MSNBC is a US TV channel and website that broadcasts news and talks about politics. It’s in New York City and is part of NBCUniversal, which Comcast owns. They make live TV shows from 30 Rockefeller Plaza and share news on their website, msnbc.com.
Back in September 2018, about 87 million homes in the US could watch MSNBC. It started in 1996 when Microsoft and NBC made it together. That’s why it’s called MSNBC. However, Microsoft sold its part of MSNBC in 2005 and part of the website in 2012. Then, the news website changed its name to NBCNews.com, and they made a new website.
Watch MSNBC Live Stream
MSNBC offers a variety of ways for viewers to stay informed without the need for traditional cable subscriptions. With the rise of cord-cutting, numerous live TV streaming services have emerged, providing access to the channel’s live broadcasts and on-demand content.
For those looking to stream MSNBC, services such as Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, YouTube TV, and DIRECTV STREAM are popular choices. These platforms offer a range of packages and pricing options, catering to different viewing preferences and budgets. Additionally, most of these services provide free trials, allowing users to test the streaming quality and channel selection before committing.
Moreover, the MSNBC app and website also provide avenues for streaming live content, ensuring that viewers can catch shows like “Morning Joe,” “The Rachel Maddow Show,” and “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” at their convenience.
It’s worth noting that various sources are available for streaming, and websites like livenewsof.com, among others, offer alternative ways to access live news broadcasts. As the landscape of television consumption continues to evolve, the options for streaming MSNBC and other news outlets will likely expand, providing viewers with even more flexibility in how they consume news.
History
MSNBC started in 1996 when NBC and Microsoft teamed up. Microsoft paid $221 million for half the channel and helped pay for a big newsroom in New Jersey. After the 9/11 attacks, the channel focused more on politics and called itself “America’s News Channel.” In 2005, NBC took more control by buying more shares from Microsoft. The channel got popular with liberal viewers in 2006 when Keith Olbermann spoke against conservative media. Dan Abrams became the boss in 2007, and they moved to new studios in New York.
Between 2008 and 2015, more people watched MSNBC, especially during the 2008 presidential election. They had shows with Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, and David Gregory, who shared left-leaning views. Rachel Maddow got her show in 2008, which did well. By 2010, the network was doing better than CNN and was popular with African American and Hispanic viewers. Keith Olbermann left in 2011, and NBC made a new group for its news channels in 2012.
In 2015, the channel changed to focus more on straight news instead of opinions. They updated their look with a new logo and stopped using the news ticker. They started new shows like The 11th Hour with Brian Williams and The Beat with Ari Melber. In 2021, Rashida Jones became the president, and they aimed to make more documentary-style shows. They also wanted viewers to know the difference between regular news and deeper analysis.
In March 2021, MSNBC updated its logo again and changed the name of its news block to MSNBC Reports. Brian Williams left at the end of 2021, and Rachel Maddow took a break for other projects. They started offering on-demand episodes of their news shows in 2022. In 2024, the new channel updated its weekend shows with new programs like The Weekend and Prime Weekend. They keep trying to give viewers a mix of news and deeper insights into what’s happening in the world.
Most Watched Channel in the U.S.
In September 2018, about 87 million homes in the US had MSNBC on their TVs. This was approximately 90.7% of all homes with pay TV In 2019. MSNBC was the second most-watched cable network, with an average of 1.8 million people watching.
By 2022, MSNBC’s average number of viewers at night during the week was 1.2 million. This was less than Fox News, which had 2.3 million viewers. MSNBC lost 21% of its viewers from the previous year. They also had 148,000 viewers who were between 25 and 54 years old, which is an essential group for TV channels.
In 2023, a report said that “The Beat” on MSNBC was one of the top two news shows on cable TV. The other show was “The Five” on Fox News.
On the first night of the Democratic National Convention 2020, MSNBC had more than 5 million people watching. This was the most viewers compared to the other extensive news networks, even more than CNN.
74% of Americans Consider MSNBC the Main Source of Political News
A study in 2014 found that people who watch MSNBC are usually more in the middle when it comes to politics compared to readers of BuzzFeed, Politico, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. But they are a little more to the left than people who watch CNN.
Another study in 2019 found that most people who say MSNBC is where they get their political news are older. About 74% are 50 or older, and 44% are 65 or older. Also, nearly all of these MSNBC viewers, about 95%, are Democrats. When looking at the main places where Americans get their news about politics and elections, MSNBC and Fox News have mostly viewers from one political party.
Before 2010, people with Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse couldn’t watch MSNBC in some parts of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut because of a special deal between MSNBC and Cablevision. This deal said that only Cablevision could show MSNBC, and no one knew the details of this deal.
In 2009, Verizon complained to the government because they thought the deal might be against the law. They wanted to end the agreement. The Connecticut Attorney General agreed with Verizon. After making a new deal, Verizon started showing MSNBC in New York City and New Jersey on February 2, 2010.
MSNBC Worldwide Coverage
MSNBC International is a news channel that you can watch in different parts of the world. Here’s what happens in some places:
Southern Africa
There’s a version called MSNBC Africa. It’s available for free on satellite TV through something called Free2View TV. This is a special arrangement between Great Media Limited and MSNBC. They show the network from 4 p.m. to midnight Eastern Time and repeat this block of shows twice. They also include weather updates from the local Weather Channel.
Australia
MSNBC started being available in November 2019 on a service called Fetch TV, which is an online PayTV network. It’s on channel 171. This is the same as the American version of MSNBC, shown live without delay. Fetch TV has nounique catch-up service, but you can watch any show for the last 24 hours. In April 2023, MSNBC became available on Foxtel, a subscription TV service, and its streaming service, Flash. This happened because Foxtel and NBCUniversal made a deal.
Asia and Europe
MSNBC doesn’t have a channel. When it started in 1996, they said they would broadcast in Europe in 1997, but that didn’t happen. However, you could sometimes watch it on another channel called CNBC Europe, especially on weekends at night, on American holidays in the afternoon, and when there was important breaking news.
Turkey
In Turkey, it is known as NTV-MSNBC. It’s part of the Turkish broadcaster NTV Turkey. The two companies work together but don’t show much Turkish content on English MSNBC. Instead, they translated the English into Turkish.
MSNBC Broadcasting Availability
MSNBC, along with its website msnbc.com, were launched at the same time. The website served as NBC News’ general online news outlet in collaboration with Microsoft’s MSN.com portal. Despite their concurrent operations, the network and website maintained editorial independence. Even after Microsoft sold its stake in the network, msnbc.com did not mirror the network’s progressive editorial slant and continued as a joint venture with Microsoft.
In July 2012, NBC bought out Microsoft’s remaining shares in msnbc.com and rebranded the site as NBCNews.com. Visitors were initially redirected to the new domain before msnbc.com was revived in 2013 as MSNBC’s dedicated website. It featured opinion pieces from hosts and guests and live and on-demand video content from MSNBC’s broadcasts.
July 2014 saw the introduction of msnbc2, a platform for several web-exclusive series led by MSNBC hosts. By December 2014, msnbc2 underwent a rebranding to become ‘Shift,’ offering a programming lineup less centered on politics and more appealing to a younger demographic.
MSNBC made its satellite radio début on April 12, 2010, via XM Satellite Radio channel 120 and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 90. This marked MSNBC’s second stint on satellite radio, previously available until it was removed from XM Radio on September 4, 2006. Currently, MSNBC’s programming is simulcast on SiriusXM channel 118.
Channel’s Programming
We prepared a comprehensive broadcasting list of these programs currently on air on a daily and weekly schedule.
Weekday Programs
| Time | Program | Hosted by | Location |
| 5:00 a.m. | Way Too Early | Jonathan Lemire | Washington DC / New York City |
| 6:00 a.m. | Morning Joe | Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist | – |
| 10:00 a.m. | MSNBC Reports | Ana Cabrera | New York City / Miami |
| 11:00 a.m. | – | José Díaz-Balart | – |
| 12:00 p.m. | Andrea Mitchell Reports | Andrea Mitchell | Washington, DC. |
| 1:00 p.m. | MSNBC Reports | Chris Jansing | New York City |
| 2:00 p.m. | – | – | – |
| 3:00 p.m. | – | Katy Tur | – |
| 4:00 p.m. | Deadline: White House | Nicolle Wallace | – |
| 6:00 PM | The Beat with Ari Melber | Ari Melber | – |
| 7:00 p.m. | The ReidOut | Joy Reid | Washington, DC. |
| 8:00 p.m. | Inside with Jen Psaki (Monday) | Jen Psaki | – |
| All In with Chris Hayes (Tuesday-Friday) | Chris Hayes | New York City | |
| 9:00 p.m. | The Rachel Maddow Show (Monday) | Rachel Maddow | – |
| Alex Wagner Tonight (Tuesday-Friday) | Alex Wagner | – | |
| 10:00 p.m. | The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell | Lawrence O’Donnell | – |
| 11:00 p.m. | The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle | Stephanie Ruhle | – |
Weekend Programs
| Time | Program | Hosted by | Location |
| 6:00 a.m. | Morning Joe: Weekend | Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist | New York City |
| 8:00 a.m. | The Weekend | Alicia Menendez, Symone Sanders-Townsend, and Michael Steele | New York City / Washington DC. |
| 10:00 a.m. | Velshi | Ali Velshi | New York City |
| 12:00 p.m. | The Katie Phang Show (Saturday) | Katie Phang | Miami |
| Inside With Jen Psaki (Sunday) | Jen Psaki | Washington DC. | |
| 1:00 p.m. | Alex Witt Reports | Alex Witt | New York |
| 4:00 p.m. | The Beat Weekend (Saturday) | Ari Melber | New York |
| MSNBC Prime Weekend (Sunday) | Various | Various | |
| 5:00 p.m. | PoliticsNation | Al Sharpton | New York City |
| 6:00 p.m. | The Saturday/Sunday Show With Jonathan Capehart | Jonathan Capehart | Washington DC. |
| 7:00 p.m. | Ayman | Ayman Mohyeldin | New York City |
As of recent data, MSNBC is the second-most popular news channel in the US, with a strong viewership for its prime-time shows like “The Beat with Ari Melber” and Deadline: White House remains a prominent entity within the cable news industry, providing documentary programming, live news, and insightful commentary.
