Mike Snider

USA TODAY

NBC is going big into TV Everywhere.

The network was set to announce plans Tuesday to do live linear streaming of its network broadcasts on NBC.com and on mobile devices in early 2015.

For now, live streaming seven days a week, 24 hours a day will be available only on NBC-owned stations — including serving such large TV markets as New York, L.A., Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami-Fort Lauderdale.

Live streaming was expected to begin in those markets today and, in the Washington market, the evening news on NBC's WRC-TV could be watched live.

Consumers who have pay TV subscriptions will be able to access NBC's TV Everywhere content by signing into websites or apps on devices using their user name and password associated with their TV provider account. Some content will be available without authentication, said Rob Hayes, executive vice president of NBC Digital.

"Consumer behavior is changing and people are looking to have content when they want it and where they want it," Hayes said.

And NBCUniversal aims to add other local NBC affiliates as soon as possible. "NBC fully supports TV Everywhere as it offers viewers access to more programming across more platforms than we have ever been able to make available online before," the network said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Currently, NBCUniversal offers archived episodes and other content on NBC.com and on more than a dozen apps for its networks and cable channels including E! Now; USA Now; NBC Entertainment; NBC News, Bravo Now; CNBC; Esquire Now; Golf Live Extra; MSNBC; NBC Sports Live Extra; Oxygen Now; Sprout Now; Syfy Now and Telemundo Now.

TV Everywhere is seen as one way to help networks and pay TV providers prevent the escalation of the pay TV exodus. About 14% of adult broadband users do not use a legacy pay-TV service, up from 9% in 2011, The Diffusion Group has found. Over the next few months, the number of broadband homes is likely to surpass the number of pay-TV homes for the first time, it expects.

In addition to online availability of programs, Fox is streaming more than 100 NFL broadcasts live on mobile devices to pay TV subscribers this season to pay TV subscribers.

Competitor ABC currently has live streaming on ABC.com and mobile devices for pay TV subscribers in some cities including Chicago, Houston, L.A., New York City, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham and San Francisco. As does NBC, some ABC online content does not require verification of a pay TV subscription.

And CBS recently launched two different online video services, the subscription-based CBS All Access with TV episodes recently broadcast and classics such as Star Trek, and the 24/7 ad-supported CBSN news channel with live anchors and on-demand video stories.

NBCUniversal plans on-air and digital promotions starting Dec. 26 to get the message across to viewers that they can "Watch TV without the TV."

"It's value for your subscription and the value comes from not only just being able to have access to all of our different programs, from our great suite of brands but also in frankly through your sub .. at a time and place that is convenient to you," said Alison Moore, NBCUniversal's general manager and executive vice president of TV Everywhere.

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