MS NOW Bets Loyal Fans Will Pay for New App as Part of Rebrand
The network, which stands for My Source for News, Opinion and the World, is seeking to leverage the dedicated following its many TV personalities have developed among mostly liberal audiences to expand beyond cable TV.
Photographer: Michael Nagle/BloombergMS NOW, the media network formerly called MSNBC, is using Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner as an opportunity to debut its new rebrand in Washington.
The network is hosting a brunch for student journalists and on-air talent on Friday. Then, following the Saturday dinner, MS NOW has invited Washington insiders to what’s being billed as a “subversive” underground after party at a former trolley car station nearby.
The events mark the first time the political news network will be making the DC party scene since separating from Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal earlier this year. MS NOW is part of a group of cable networks spun off as Versant Media Group Inc. The transition is one of several major changes at the network, which is also using one of its busiest news cycles to a launch new product catering to its most loyal fans.