In a First, NBC’s Democratic Debate to Also Be Live Streamed by YouTube

NBC News has teamed up with YouTube to live stream its upcoming Democratic debate. 

The showdown, which will be held in Charleston, S.C., and hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, will air live on NBC at 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 17. YouTube will offer a live stream of the action from the NBC News YouTube channel. 

Past debates have also featured live streams, but this will be the first time that YouTube has joined in. “Since 2005 you’ve made YouTube a home for global politics, and today you watch more than 5 million hours of news on YouTube every day,” wrote Brandon Feldman of YouTube News in a blog post. “Over the course of 2016, you’ll be able to find all of the major election moments unfold on YouTube — tune in to the NBC News YouTube channel January 17 to kick off the election year.”

In addition to questions from moderator Lester Holt, the debate also will feature questions taken directly from the YouTube community.

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley will square off during the three-hour event, the last DNC sanctioned debate before the first caucus and primary voting begins.