The future of news is not just about distribution but about building deeper, more direct relationships with audiences wherever they are.
That was the message of the session “The MS NOW Playbook: Building Community Across Platforms.”
Moderator Lachlan Cartwright of Breaker Media was joined by Marcus Mabry, MS NOW’s senior vice president of content strategy; Ari Melber, anchor and chief legal reporter; and Jen Psaki, anchor of “The Briefing Room With Jen Psaki” and social-media series “Psaki Bombs.”
Their conversation explored how the network is evolving beyond traditional linear television.
They said MS NOW’s independence — after NBCUniversal spun the former MSNBC and most of its other basic-cable networks into Versant in January — has become a strategic advantage.
Independence aligns with the brand’s editorial identity, Melber said. Psaki described the post-transition organization as “smaller, mightier, more agile.”
That shift has allowed the company to invest in areas it had not prioritized before, particularly digital products and audience engagement.
Rather than positioning itself as just another streaming outlet, MS NOW is focused on creating a community product that deepens trust and participation.
Mabry said that MS NOW’s new app, slated to launch this summer, is not a streaming app. Instead, it is meant as a news-first community platform that gives audiences more direct access to talent, reporters and analysis.
The goal is to create a relationship where users can ask questions, interact with journalists and feel part of an ongoing conversation.
The strategy begins with audience needs, not with assumptions from inside the newsroom, Mabry said. It is rooted in research about what viewers want most: trustworthy information, context and a sense of connection in an overwhelming news cycle.
That sense of connection was central to the discussion of “superfans,” a term the panel used to describe the highly engaged viewers who do more than simply tune in.
Psaki said that at live events and in product testing, it became clear that the audience sees itself as part of a community, not just a passive viewership.
Melber added that “people don’t watch the news, they watch people,” noting that audiences connect with hosts through personality, perspective and shared experience. That dynamic, the panel argued, is what differentiates MS NOW in a crowded media market.
The conversation also described an aggressive digital expansion.
Melber discussed his early embrace of YouTube as a way to extend interviews and conversations beyond the limits of linear television. Psaki echoed that point, saying that an hour-long show leaves little room for the lengthier discussions audiences increasingly want.
Both described digital video, YouTube originals, podcasts and short-form social content as ways to reach people who may never watch cable news but still want credible journalism. The network now draws more YouTube views than other news networks, heightening the payoff of that investment.
“The audience is so spread apart,” Psaki said. “You have to capture them where you can find them.”
Looking ahead, the panelists said their success will depend on staying experimental, meeting audiences across platforms and maintaining trust in an era shaped by misinformation and AI-generated content.
For MS NOW, the playbook is not just about audience growth. It is about creating a news brand built on authenticity, accessibility and community.
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