Ralph Bavaro/MSNBC
- MSNBC plans to triple the number of events it puts on next year.
- The network also aims to capitalize on its fandom with a DTC subscription product.
- MSNBC, along with CNN, has experienced declines in viewership under the Trump administration.
As MSNBC prepares to be hived off from NBCUniversal and reintroduce itself as MS NOW, it's making sure its audience knows who it is — live and in person. The cable network aims to triple its events next year from three in an effort to diversify its business.
Leading the expansion is Marcus Mabry, who joined from CNN four months ago as SVP of content strategy. He envisions a range of events — big and small, virtual and live, open and invite-only — supported by a mix of sponsors and ticket sales. Possible topics include health, particularly mental health, and wellness. The company is also considering events with a focus on men and Gen Z.
In addition to in-person events, MSNBC is exploring an expansive direct-to-consumer subscription product that includes virtual events and premium content, the company said.
MSNBC is looking to capitalize on its loyal viewers, taking a page from its corporate sibling Bravo's BravoCon, where reality TV fans can interact with the network's celebrity stars over three days in Las Vegas.
"I'm excited about the fandom I see," Mabry said. "It's unlike anything I've seen in the world of a lot of commodity news. Our watchers aren't just an audience, they're a community. The time we're in right now, there's a greater thirst for connection with our talent."
The stakes are high for networks like MSNBC. Cable news has been in decline for years as more people cut the cord and shift their entertainment and sports viewing to streaming. Major cable network parent companies Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery have decided to spin off many of their cable networks. Now, the test is whether channels like MSNBC can survive and thrive in a new era when direct audience connection is increasingly important.
Other cable news networks have had live events in different forms. CNN has had "Citizen by CNN," a recurring virtual series featuring its journalists to discuss the issues of the day. Fox News has had its Patriot Awards for several years, a ticketed event where its talent presents awards to military vets, first responders, and others.
MSNBC will soon test its appeal with MSNBCLive, a daylong event that returns for the second year on October 11 to New York's Hammerstein Ballroom under the direction of MSNBC exec Lauren Peikoff.
For tickets starting at $100, attendees of "MSNBCLive: This Is Who We Are" will get to hear from and break bread with more than a dozen of MSNBC's well known hosts, including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, and Jen Psaki.
Ralph Bavaro/MSNBC
An expanded lineup this year will add Nicolle Wallace, who will speak with the actor Martin Sheen for a live taping of her podcast, "The Best People with Nicolle Wallace," plus Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Jacob Soboroff.
The company said it listened to people at last year's MSNBCLive, who gave feedback saying they wanted more interaction. This year, it's adding more Q&A opportunities and a lunch in addition to a dinner. It expects a similar turnout to last year's event, which drew 4,000 to a Brooklyn venue. Highlights included Ari Melber giving out monogrammed lighters and Jen Psaki sharing a hug with a fellow redhead.
"It's not a shock that a lot of people in America are a little scared with what's going on in the news cycle, and having these moments where they see people they can trust and understand them is deeply meaningful," said Luke Russert, creative director of MSNBCLive. In other events, MSNBC has previously taken Chris Hayes' podcast on the road and done events with Brzezinski around women's empowerment.
Shoring up its audience is critical. MSNBC's ratings have declined year over year — along with those of fellow cable news outlet CNN — though they have rebounded somewhat since January. The president's favored network, Fox News, meanwhile, has seen its ratings soar. Fox News averaged 1.63 million full-day viewers in the second quarter, more than MSNBC and CNN combined.
MSNBC is also about to have to reintroduce itself with a new name and ownership structure as it and fellow spun-off cable channels establish themselves as a new publicly traded company, Versant, under Mark Lazarus' leadership. MSNBC will become MS Now — or My Source News Opinion World — and no longer be able to use NBC's famous peacock in its logo. Versant leadership has said that being free of Comcast will free the company up to grow organically and through acquisition. MSNBC is on a hiring spree and in the process of adding 100 roles, the company said.
Cable news audiences have largely sorted themselves into partisan bubbles. One in three Democrats say they regularly get their news from MSNBC, compared to 11% of Republicans, according to June data from the Pew Research Center. On the right, 57% of Republicans say they get their news from Fox News, versus 18% of Democrats.
Mabry said MSNBC research suggests there's a chance to capture new viewers who may be conservative but not part of Trump's loyal MAGA base.
"We think it's huge," he said of the opportunity. "People who care about democracy, the rule of law — it's progressive, but also centrist, Republicans. We saw it with the Jimmy Kimmel controversy."