NASA is all in on streaming, ditching the NASA TV broadcast

The agency announced this week that it will phase out its NASA TV over the air broadcast service in favor of its digital NASA+ streaming service. Still free, the agency promises all the same great content, just in a new location.

Underneath all the ground breaking research and space exploration, NASA is also a full fledge media production company. Comprising of hundreds, if not thousands, of civil servants and contractors that capture, produce, and direct documentaries, mini-series, and livestreams of the agency’s ventures.

For decades this has been aired on NASA TV, a broadcast service streamed on the company’s website, social media pages, YouTube, and depending on your cable package, to your TV. In November 2023, the agency announced the creation of NASA+. The home of all of NASA’s online content in one place.

In a press release, NASA shared NASA+ has grown to four times the viewership than NASA TV had in just the last few months, and the agency hopes to streamline their content processes. In late August, NASA will shutdown the broadband service called NASA TV and shift all of its focus over to NASA+.

This will likely also mean even the digital NASA TV streams will go offline. However, this shouldn’t mean you’ll miss out on any upcoming live events. NASA has long been an agency to meet the people where they are and produce coverage where ever it can.

I would expect to still see livestreams for all NASA events continue to show up on your social media site of choice.

If you haven’t checked out NASA+ yet, now is the time to do so. All of NASA’s previously produced series are on there, available to watch whenever you want. You no longer have to wait around for a rerun on NASA TV to watch it.

In the same press release, NASA announced three new series that will come to NASA+ called Planetary Defenders, Our Alien Earth, and An Ocean of Bloom.

Apps to stream NASA+ can be found on almost any operating system like iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Fire TV. The service can also be streamed online at plus.nasa.gov.