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NBCU News Group is adding hundreds of jobs to its digital organization, with a major investment in streaming as well as its “TODAY” broadcast brand, executives told Axios.
Why is this important: The move is the network’s biggest investment in its streaming and digital products as it announced it would hire around 70 people in October 2019.
- “As consumption increasingly shifts to streaming, it’s only natural that we devote more of our attention and resources to serving this audience,” said Noah Oppenheim, president of NBC News.
- “This substantial investment in streaming and digital enables us to meet the needs of news consumers in a rapidly evolving digital media industry,” said Cesar Conde, President of NBCU News Group.
The big picture: Heritage TV news companies are striving to create streaming platforms that will serve the next generation of news consumers.
Details: Starting this summer, the company will add several new hours of original programming to the NBC News NOW streaming service. It also plans to onboard more of its featured presenters and journalists as it expands its streaming programming globally.
- The new roles will also cover the video teams of NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, TODAY.com and NBC News.
- The network plans to double the digital workforce of its “TODAY” franchise, following its expansion into streaming last year. “Today All Day” announced last month that it would roll out original programming for its streaming service, featuring household names like Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager.
- The new staff investments will be the responsibility of the teams of Catherine Kim, senior vice president of global digital news for NBC News and MSNBC; Libby Leist, SVP NBC News and “TODAY; Janelle Rodriguez, SVP of Nightly News, NBC News NOW & Breaking News Specials and Ashley Parrish, SVP Commerce for NBCU News Group.
Hourly: Most of the new programming will begin this fall.
- NBC News NOW plans to expand its live weekday programming throughout the fall and add to its weekend live programming and originals starting in the first quarter of 2022.
- International distribution will come later this year.
Part of the new programming coming to NBC News Now:
- Tom Lamas, NBC’s senior national correspondent will host a new daily prime-time news program.
- Hallie Jackson, the network’s senior correspondent and presenter in Washington, will host a daily evening program and a weekly series of special news magazines.
- Joshua Johnson, presenter of “The Week” on MSNBC, will host a program of analysis and explanation of the news each evening.
- Llamas and Jackson will host these new streaming programs in addition to their linear TV shows.
From a commercial point of view, the company has no plans to put NBC News Now or TODAY All Day behind a pay wall just yet.
- “The pole star for us is in the past”, says Chris Berend, executive vice president of digital for NBCU News Group. The company claims that NBC News NOW averages over 44 million views and 14 million hours of viewing per month. Berend notes that all income, whether it’s advertising, commerce, partnerships, or whatever, comes from how the network meets consumer expectations.
- The network has recently started experimenting with live shopping on TODAY all day. “It was really a hit with our audience,” Berend said. “We also imagine the possibilities of audio or special events. The more value we create for the consumer, the more options we have at our disposal. ”
- Oppenheim says the network’s goal is to be the # 1 destination for streaming news audiences. “It’s less about a number of shows than continuing to expand our programming so that anytime someone searches for streaming news, 24/7, they can open News NOW. and find them. “
In numbers : With the new additions, nearly 300 people at the NBCU News Group will work on streaming in the areas of editorial, engineering, product, talent and production.
- Dozens of roles have already been released, including new roles for different types of journalists and digital producers on topics such as health, parenting and politics.
Be smart: Executives did not say if there would be new streaming services planned for some of its other news properties, like MSNBC, CNBC or Telemundo, but noted that for now, NBC plans to keep its services. existing separate news streaming.
- “Every day we see more interactions between these streaming services and our traditional digital platforms,” Oppenheim said. “We are also seeing greater interaction between streaming and our mobile platforms, with shopping being a prime example. ”
- NBC has launched other digital products for its news brands, including “The Choice,” an extension of MSNBC’s progressive programming on Peacock.
At the end of the line : “As streaming platforms mature, consumers expect a premium experience,” says Berend. “Live news is no exception.”
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