With over eight billion people living on the planet Earth, a lot goes on here on any given day, from geopolitical events to technological breakthroughs to tectonic business decisions. And thanks to modern technological, we can know much of what happens immediately after it does.
There’s an argument that the human brain wasn’t meant to take in this much information, but for those who want to try anyway, there are lots of free, 24/7 news channels you can stream whenever you like on YouTube.
NBC News NOW
Old reliable
If you’re looking for updates on the events of the day, heading to one of the big three legacy networks —NBC, CBS, and ABC — is a good place to start. NBC News NOW is exactly what you’d expect: a continuous feed of breaking news from around the world, with a focus on the United States. There’s minimal commentary; this is just about reporting what’s happened, with an emphasis on always moving to the next story.
Bloomberg Business News Live
For money matters
Bloomberg Business News Live focuses on all things business; it’s a 24/7 feed dedicated to markets, financial trends, and economics. There are regular updates on the movements of various stock markets, news about major business leaders, and analysis of the economic climate. It also dips into politics, since they’re pretty hard to extricate from business. This is wonky, hard-headed stuff that will please serious newshounds.
LiveNOW from FOX
NOT the same thing as Fox News
Fox News has become famous in recent years for its heavily slanted takes on the news of the day. Although Fox News and LiveNow from Fox are both owned by the Fox Corporation, they are very different. LiveNOW from FOX focuses on raw breaking news, press conferences, and live events. By design, it has basically no opinion programming and limited commentary. Of the big news network streams, it’s the most straight-forward, with few pre-prepared pieces that go deeper on any given subject. It’s produced by local Fox TV stations rather than by the Fox News cable channel.
FOX Weather Channel Live Stream
Does that feel like rain? Find out.
Another Fox stream, the FOX Weather Channel Live Stream is exactly what you think it is: 24/7 coverage of all things weather, courtesy of meteorologists on “America’s Weather Team.” You’ll get local, regional, and national weather updates.
Generally speaking, most people nowadays can just open their phones and figure out what the weather is going to be in their area. But if you want to get that information from a live stream, this is here for you. And you’ll get news about bigger weather patterns around the world you may not have known about otherwise. You never know what’s going to blow in.
LA Times Studios
From Hollywood to you
LA Times Studios is technically a live stream that focuses on news in and around Los Angeles, with some reports on nationwide or international issues. The reason it might be interesting even to people outside of LA is because it also features a lot of segments where popular actors, directors, and whatnot talk about their latest projects. So if you’re a big fan of movies and TV, it could be worth putting on in the background.
CNBC Marathon
Dense digital deep dives
CNBC offers something a little different. CNBC is a news organization, but CNBC Marathon is a 24/7 live stream that exclusively shows journalism-fueled documentary content that goes deeper than any breaking news channel would.
The features focus on modern industries, wealth building, and career strategies. One feature might profile a prominent engineer, the next could explore an exciting new technology that stands to change the way an industry operates, the next a new workplace trend…it’s all in the same ballpark, but it’s rarely exactly the same thing twice. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys a good documentary and tries to keep up with the news, it’s perfect for you.
Al Jazeera English
Window to the world
Al Jazeera specializes in international news, often reporting on regions and stories from the Global South. You’ll get programming from shows like 101 East, Fault Lines, and People & Power, all shows with reputations for hard-hitting journalism. Shows like The Stream and The Listening Post focus on culture, and the flagship show Newshour brings you headlines from around the globe, not just the U.S.
ABC News Live
Back to basics
Functionally, a lot of the big network news live streams are going to feel kind of the same, as we switch from breaking news reports to longer deep dives about what’s happening around the world. That said, there are some differences worth noting. While the NBC News live stream is more focused on quickly moving from story to story, the ABC News Live stream is known for taking its time and going a little deeper. And obviously the anchors are different between the big network streams.
Occasionally, ABC News Live might pull a report from one of its other shows, like Nightline. By the same token, the NBC News stream can pull from NBC Nightly News or the Today show. It’s all about finding which stream is a better fit for your tastes.
More news than anyone can handle
7 video sites that are better than YouTube
If you’re done with YouTube, here are the best alternatives you should try.
There are other news streams out there, including one from CBS, but it may not be meaningfully different than the ones for ABC and NBC; still, you can switch back and forth to get a full range of perspective on the news. If you want more international news, France 24 English is a good place to find it.
There are also ways to stream live news without having to use YouTube. And of course, if you’d rather read than watch your news, there are plenty of helpful free ways to help you do that, as well.
