There's a lot of new news regarding NBC today. Brace yourselves.
First off, Andrew Lack, a former executive at CBS News and Bloomberg News, is in talks for a senior role at NBC News, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This comes in the aftermath of several weeks of turmoil at the network's news division after Brian Williams was suspended from anchoring NBC Nightly News for six months in February after soldiers disputed his account of being on a Chinook helicopter that was shot down during the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Even though ratings for NBC Nightly News have held steady at No.1 during Williams' absence, emerging as the frontrunner during February sweeps, the network's news division could definitely use some repairing in the reputation department. Lack ran NBC News from 1993 to 2001, which The Wall Street Journal mentions was "something of a glory period for the unit." It seems like the move could help restore some of that much-needed former glory for the network.
The second bit of news for NBC to emerge today is especially exciting for comedy fans. The Wall Street Journal reports that NBC is looking to launch "a comedy-focused subscription Web video service later this year." It seems like a move to target younger NBC fans, who already enjoy watching content from shows like Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that go viral the next day after airing.
The streaming service will most likely include full episodes of those aforementioned shows, in addition to original series, which may include exclusive content from its existing TV stars. There are several price points under consideration, but one is a range from $2.50 to $3.50 a month, which sure beats the monthly subscription prices for some of the more popular online streaming services like Hulu Plus and Netflix, although they of course offer content from multiple sources, not just one network.
NBC is definitely moving in the right direction with a move like this. TV watchers are cord cutting left and right, especially those under 35 years old, which is the audience the network is hoping to target, according to The Wall Street Journal. Networks like CBS and FX have already launched their own standalone streaming services. HBO is said to be following suit later this year.
However, this is really only going to work if NBC stops all of the current avenues we have to find its content online, such as removing shows from Hulu or keeping viral content from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon from being uploaded to YouTube the next day, which has been very successful in helping to build the host's younger-skewing audience. However, if it's one thing youngsters like their entertainment to be, it's free.
One thing is for sure: It's going to be interesting to watch NBC in the coming months.
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