MSNBC Live Stream – Watch MS NOW
MSNBC is one of the most watched cable news networks in the United States and the leading destination for progressive political analysis and breaking news coverage. Viewers can watch MSNBC live in HD through cable and satellite providers, live TV streaming services such as YouTube TV and Sling, or the official MS NOW app with a TV provider login.
One important update before you start watching. MSNBC officially changed its name to MS NOW on November 15, 2025. The channel, the anchors, the programs, and the channel numbers all remain exactly the same. Only the name and logo changed.
MSNBC Is Now MS NOW | Making Things Standout
On November 15, 2025, MSNBC officially became MS NOW as part of a corporate separation from NBCUniversal. The network was spun off into a new independent media company called Versant, led by longtime Comcast executive Mark Lazarus. The new name stands for My Source for News, Opinion and the World.
The rebrand also meant dropping the NBC peacock logo, which NBCUniversal decided to keep within its own family of brands. Versant CEO Mark Lazarus explained in a company memo that the change gave the network the opportunity to chart its own path forward and establish an independent news organization following the spin.
Network president Rebecca Kutler told staff that while the name was changing, the identity and mission of the channel would not. The network kept its full roster of hosts including Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, Chris Hayes, Ari Melber, and Lawrence O’Donnell. Every program continued to air at exactly the same time, and viewers kept the same channel numbers on cable and satellite providers.
MS NOW has since built its own independent newsroom from the ground up, hiring dozens of journalists from CNN, Bloomberg, and Politico so it no longer relies on NBC News correspondents for domestic and international coverage. The network also formed a global news partnership with Sky News to expand its international reporting reach.
| Channel Details | |
|---|---|
| Category | Details |
| Current Name | MS NOW (My Source for News, Opinion and the World) |
| Former Name | MSNBC (1996 to 2025) |
| Rebrand Date | November 15, 2025 |
| Owner | Versant (spun off from Comcast NBCUniversal) |
| CEO | Mark Lazarus (Versant) |
| Network President | Rebecca Kutler |
| Launch Date | July 15, 1996 |
| Original Partners | NBC News and Microsoft (MSN + NBC) |
| Country | United States of America |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast Area | United States and Canada |
| Headquarters | 229 West 43rd Street, New York City |
| DC Bureau | Washington D.C., co-located with NBC News |
| Editorial Focus | Rolling news coverage and progressive political commentary |
| Weekly Reach | More than 31 million Americans per week |
| Live Programs | More than 120 live news programs each week |
| On-Air Anchors | More than 25 anchors on the network roster |
| Website | www.ms.now |
MS NOW launched a completely new weekday lineup on June 15, 2026, ahead of the midterm election season. Several anchors moved to new time slots, and four new programs joined the schedule. Here is the current weekday schedule in Eastern Time.
| MS NOW 2026 Schedule [New Weekday Lineup] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time (ET) | Program | Anchor / Host |
| 6:00 AM | Morning Joe | Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist |
| 8:00 AM | Morning Joe (Hour 3) | Jonathan Lemire co-anchoring |
| 9:00 AM | Money, Power, Politics | Stephanie Ruhle |
| 11:00 AM | The 11 AM Hour | Peter Alexander |
| 12:00 PM | On the Line | Alicia Menendez |
| 2:00 PM | Chris Jansing Reports | Rotating anchors, Jansing now chief political reporter |
| 4:00 PM | Deadline: White House | Nicolle Wallace |
| 6:00 PM | The Beat | Ari Melber |
| 7:00 PM | The Weeknight | Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, Luke Russert |
| 8:00 PM | The Rachel Maddow Show | Rachel Maddow (Mondays) |
| 8:00 PM | All In with Chris Hayes | Chris Hayes (Mondays) |
| 9:00 PM | The Moment | Katy Tur |
| 10:00 PM | The Last Word | Lawrence O’Donnell |
| 11:00 PM | The 11th Hour | Ali Velshi |
MS NOW also refreshed its weekend programming, adding a new Los Angeles based Saturday show and a weekly compilation program from its Crooked Media partnership.
| Weekend Schedule | ||
|---|---|---|
| Day And Time | Program | Host |
| Saturday 10:00 AM | Connect with Jacob Soboroff | Jacob Soboroff |
| Saturday 8:00 PM | Ayman | Ayman Mohyeldin |
| Sunday 10:00 AM | The Sunday Show | Jonathan Capehart |
| Sunday 12:00 PM | Inside with Jen Psaki | Jen Psaki |
| Weekend | Crooked on MS NOW | Crooked Media partnership compilation |
| Weekend | PoliticsNation | Reverend Al Sharpton |
MSNBC, now MS NOW, is available across satellite, cable, live TV streaming services, and free online options. The table below covers every major way to watch in 2026 including which streaming services carry the channel and which do not.
| MS NOW Availability in USA & Worldwide in 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Platform / Provider | Channel And Details | |
| SATELLITE TV | ||
| DirecTV (US) | Channel 356 | |
| DISH Network (US) | Channel 209 | |
| Bell TV (Canada) | Channel 502 | |
| Shaw Direct (Canada) | Channel 526 | |
| CABLE TV UNITED STATES | ||
| Xfinity and Comcast | Varies by ZIP code, typically channel 100 range | |
| Spectrum | Varies by city, check your local channel guide | |
| Verizon FiOS | Channel 103 (HD) and Channel 603 (SD) | |
| Optimum | Channel 115 (HD), varies by region | |
| Cox Communications | Varies by local market | |
| LIVE TV STREAMING, NO CABLE NEEDED | ||
| YouTube TV | Included, from $72.99 per month with unlimited DVR | |
| Sling TV Blue | Included, from $40 per month | |
| DirecTV Stream | Included, from $34.99 per month | |
| Hulu with Live TV | Included, from $82.99 per month | |
| FuboTV | NOT available, Fubo does not carry MS NOW | |
| Philo | NOT available, Philo does not carry MS NOW | |
| DIRECT AND FREE OPTIONS | ||
| MSNBC.com | Live stream with cable or live TV provider login | |
| MS NOW App | Free download, live stream needs provider login | |
| MS NOW YouTube | Free clips and highlights, nearly 8 billion views across platforms | |
| SATELLITE RADIO | ||
| SiriusXM (US) | Channel 118 | |
MSNBC (now MS NOW) vs CNN vs Fox News: How the Three Networks Compare
American cable news is not one thing. MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News occupy three very different lanes editorially, attract three very different audiences, and cover the same events through three very different lenses. Understanding where MSNBC sits in that landscape helps explain why millions of Americans choose it over the other two options and what kind of coverage to expect when you tune in live.
| How They Compare Side by Side | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | MS NOW (MSNBC) | CNN | Fox News |
| Editorial Lean | Progressive / Liberal | Centrist / General | Conservative |
| Primary Audience | Democratic and progressive voters | Broad, politically mixed | Republican and conservative voters |
| Primetime Style | Opinion, analysis, long-form | Hard news and opinion mix | Opinion and commentary |
| Top Primetime Show | The Rachel Maddow Show | Anderson Cooper 360 | Jesse Watters Primetime |
| Coverage Tone | Critical of Trump administration | Balanced, centrist framing | Broadly supportive of Trump |
| Iran War Coverage | Anti-war, diplomatic focus, civilian toll | Neutral breaking news coverage | Pro-administration, military-forward |
| Weekday Primetime Avg | 1.5 million viewers (May 2026) | Around 1.1 million viewers | Around 2.8 million viewers |
| Weekly US Reach | 31 million Americans per week | 68 million US households | 70 million US households |
| Digital Strength | 8 billion YouTube and TikTok views | Strongest global web presence | Fox Nation streaming add-on |
| Cable Cost | Included in most cable packages | Included in most cable packages | Included in most cable packages |
| Official App | Official MS NOW app with TV provider login | CNN app with TV provider login | Fox News app with TV provider login |
Where MSNBC consistently outperforms its competitors is in viewer loyalty and depth of engagement. The average MS NOW viewer watches more than nine hours of content every week, a figure that exceeds any broadcast network in the country. That level of retention reflects an audience that trusts the channel’s editorial voice and returns to it consistently rather than channel-surfing across multiple news outlets. Fox News wins on raw reach. CNN wins on global recognition. MS NOW wins on the depth of its relationship with its specific audience, and that is the asset Versant is now building its entire business around.
MS NOW is home to more than 25 on-air anchors and dozens of Pulitzer, Murrow, Peabody, and Emmy Award winning reporters. Here is the current roster of regular on-air personalities across the network.
| MS NOW Anchors and Hosts 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchor | Anchor | Anchor | Anchor |
| Rachel Maddow | Joe Scarborough | Mika Brzezinski | Willie Geist |
| Nicolle Wallace | Chris Hayes | Ari Melber | Lawrence O’Donnell |
| Stephanie Ruhle | Ali Velshi | Katy Tur | Alicia Menendez |
| Jen Psaki | Jonathan Capehart | Symone Sanders Townsend | Michael Steele |
| Luke Russert | Jacob Soboroff | Peter Alexander | Jonathan Lemire |
| Ayman Mohyeldin | Al Sharpton | Chris Jansing | Andrea Mitchell |
MS NOW Viewership and Ratings in 2026
MS NOW reaches more than 31 million Americans every week on television and holds one of the most engaged audiences in all of television, with the average viewer watching more than nine hours each week, which is more than any broadcast network.
The network averaged more than one million total viewers across weekday live programming in April 2026, representing a 20 percent increase year over year, and more than 1.5 million total viewers in weekday primetime. In May, MS NOW posted double digit audience gains of 12 percent among total viewers and 39 percent in the key demographic compared to the same period a year earlier.
Digital growth has been just as strong. The network recorded nearly eight billion combined views across YouTube and TikTok and more than 140 million audio downloads in 2025. Versant has also announced plans to launch a direct to consumer digital subscription service in 2026, bundling streaming with a 24 hour linear channel and community features aimed at a progressive audience.
Is MSNBC still called MSNBC?
No. MSNBC officially became MS NOW on November 15, 2025. The website remains msnbc.com and most viewers still search for MSNBC, but the on-air branding is now MS NOW.
What channel is MS NOW on DirecTV and DISH?
MS NOW is channel 356 on DirecTV and channel 209 on DISH Network. Channel numbers did not change after the rebrand.
Is MS NOW on Netflix or Amazon Prime?
No. MSNBC is not available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, or any on demand streaming library. It is a live television channel and requires a cable or satellite package or a live TV streaming service such as YouTube TV or Sling.
Did Rachel Maddow leave MSNBC after the rebrand?
No. Rachel Maddow remains with the network and continues to anchor The Rachel Maddow Show on Monday evenings. The network retained its full primetime roster through the transition to MS NOW.
