E! News, the entertainment news arm of NBCUniversal's E! cable channel, is beginning a strong push into digital delivery via online content. The network wants viewers to access its entertainment news coverage via other outlets than regular TV, including social media, mobile devices and on-demand video offerings.
The network's daily news and entertainment series, which recently made headlines when it replaced longstanding co-host and E! channel veteran Giuliana Rancic with Maria Menounos, has already dipped its toes in the digital waters via repackaged content offered in a daily Facebook Live interactive program known as "Live From E!".
The network also offers a short form series known as "E! News Now," which is produced exclusively for mobile and broadband. A slate of additional shows is currently being developed, as the network's ultimate intention is to have at least one original show airing every single night of the week. Some of the content is headed for YouTube and Periscope, with another show expected to debut exclusively on Snapchat in the near future.
The tagline of the new promotional campaign is "Be Pop Cultured," and will be featured on billboards in Times Square, LA's Sunset Boulevard and other high traffic locations. The network intends to remind viewers that it was Kim Kardashian, star of the E! network's most popular long running series, "Keeping Up With The Kardashians," who "broke the internet" as part of its digital tie in, with ads running on the website of Paper Magazine, where Kardashian's famous nude photo first appeared.
NBCUniversal's entire network of cable channels has been making a bigger push into digital content delivery as of late, in order to complement its slate of original TV programming. The company's Bravo network, which is closest to the E! network in terms of programming and audience demographics, has made a big push into web series and digital-only content in the past year or two. Bravo offers an exclusive internet after show nightly for Andy Cohen's successful late night chat fest "Watch What Happens Live," and has a dedicated slate of web content that complements its regular offerings.
It appears E! is aiming to emulate Bravo's success in that area in the hope that it can capitalize on the unique synergies that may potentially exist between its cable channel and broader entertainment news delivery via the web. With NBCUniversal owner Comcast also looking to develop its video on-demand menu, we may even see some of the web-only programs added to Comcast's X1 digital on-demand platform in the near future.
