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Most TV viewers know MS NOW as a cable network. What if it were a social one, too?
When the Versant Media-backed outlet launches a new subscription-based app this week, it does so with the vow to help new members communicate
not only with MS NOW anchors and correspondents, but with each other. The MS NOW “Membership” comes with two different opportunities each day for subscribers to speak directly with top personalities during live Q& A sessions; a regular suite of new content aimed at wellness; and the opportunity not just to watch MS NOW programming, but to be part of a community of like-minded people
“We are turning a one-way news experience into a two-way conversation,” says Marcus Mabry, senior vice president of content strategy for MS NOW, in a memo issued Tuesday. MS NOW will seek $7.99 per month or $79.99 annually for subscriptions to the new offering.
Each day at noon and 6 p.m. eastern, MS NOW “Membership” subscribers will be able to join regular live video conversations with anchors and reporters. Each Monday at noon, for example, subscribers can ask Rachel Maddow questions ahead of her weekly Monday-evening program. On Tuesdays, MS NOW will hold a “Morning Joe Family Meeting” — a discussion with the hosts of that show about the stories and issues of the week. Other noontime exchanges will be held with Stephanie Ruhle and Ali Velshi; Michael Steele; Jen Psaki; Jackie Alemany, Jonathan Capehart, and Eugene Daniels; and Rev. Al Sharpton.
Evenings will be reserved for 6 p.m. “On the Ground” exchanges with reporters and correspondents from the MS NOW newsroom, which might include anyone from Peter Alexander to Chris Jansing, David Rohde or Brandy Zadrozny.
In some ways, MS NOW is late to the game. Fox News and NBC News have been in the market with subscription products for months, and NBC, CBS News and ABC News offer free, ad-supported services. CNN has launchedtwo different subscription products (the first was scuttled). With that in mind, executives seemed motivated to find a different offer.
MS NOW found over the course of a year of research that viewers craved places where they might engage with like-minded news consumers. An offer of “community” was a key driver of preference for subscribing to a news app. “For decades, our audiences have invited us into their homes. Membership gives us an opportunity to invite them into the conversation,” says Mabry. “This is an opportunity to listen as much as to talk.”
And, potentially, more. MS NOW will also offer subscribers ways to find balance in their lives, touching on subjects ranging from mindfulness, relationships, and healthcare to caregiving, and parenting. The idea is to give subscribers other topics toward which they might gravitate when news headlines aren’t as pressing in daily life.
MS NOW has struck a partnership with Calm, the company that offers an app centered on meditation, and has tapped a group of experts who will host their own showcases. Dan Harris, the former ABC News journalist and head of the popular “10% Happier” podcast, will host a show that emphasizes how to deal with stress and mental well-being while navigating the modern news cycle. Nedra Glover Tawwab, a licensed therapist, will answer questions about relationships and family dynamics. Dr. Joel Bervell, a physician, debunks information around medical stories. Richard Lui, will lead a show about caregiving Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, a pediatric psychologist, talks about raising children and teens.
MS NOW is the last of the nation’s three main cable news outlets to offer a stand-alone subscription service. The network experimented with different streaming models over the years, but never really seemed to find its groove.
In 2014, MSNBC launched “Shift,” a separate platform aimed at bringing new topics and contributors to the outlet’s followers. Among the new offerings were “The Briefing,” a political program hosted Monday and Fridays by Luke Russert, and “Code Forward,” a discussion of issues raised by new technology, developed in partnership with the tech-news outlet once known as Re/Code. One program, “Reporter’s Notebook” hosted by Beth Fouhy, let MSNBC reporters offer the back story on their reportage.
Launch of the app represents the latest move by Versant, a spin-off from NBCUniversal consisting largely of traditional cable assets, to diversify its revenue with more direct-to-consumer products.
The two different parts of the “Membership” will “build even more on the relationship between MS NOW and our audience,” says Mabry. “We can answer their questions. We can hear directly from them. We can create programming in response to their needs.”
