Democratic White House hopefuls Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley are readying for their party's next presidential debate, which is set to take place on Jan. 17, at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, South Carolina.

All three contenders qualified for the encounter, which is sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and sponsored by NBC News and YouTube, the network announced on Jan. 14. The debate will be moderated by "Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt along with NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell.

NBC to dispatch political team to South Carolina

Chuck Todd, the network's political director and "Meet the Press" host, and Kristen Welker, its White House correspondent, meanwhile, will anchor the pre- and post-debate coverage live from the spin room, NBC noted. Coverage will kick off at 8 p.m. EST, and viewers will be able to follow developments online and on NBC's cable outlet MSNBC; the main event will begin at 9 p.m. EST.

The Charleston event marks the fourth time the Democratic contenders have debated their policy positions on live TV.

Latest debate stands out amid long lineup

Along with their rivals Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee, who have since dropped out of the race, they previously met for a CNN-sponsored encounter in Las Vegas on Oct. 13, 2015, and they also faced each other at a Nov. 14 Des Moines Register-hosted debate, as well as a Dec. 19 ABC News-led event.

The Jan. 17 encounter, however, is the final time Democrats will debate before the crucial Feb. 1 first-in-the-nation caucuses in Iowa, and observers will be closely watching the exchanges between Clinton and Sanders, who are now in a statistical tie in the Hawkeye State. The competitors are expected to again meet on Feb. 11 in a debate hosted by PBS, which will take place two days after the New Hampshire primaries.

As has become custom during such televised spectacles, NBC News, meanwhile, invited viewers to actively participate in the discussion by using the hashtag "#DemDebate" on social media.

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