MS NOW Launches Direct-to-Consumer Membership Service

In September, MS NOW will debut a stand-alone “Membership” product priced at $7.99 per month or $79.99 for an annual subscription. An introductory promotion runs through the end of September, allowing new members to pay $39.99 plus tax for the first full year. The tier adds to the network’s existing cable and digital platforms and promises 24/7 live-stream access, original creator content, new verticals that examine how news and politics affect daily life, and interactive community features that let subscribers engage directly with journalists and each other.

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MS NOW, formerly known as MSNBC, has experimented with streaming and pay-wall models since 2014, when it launched the “Shift” platform and later partnered with Peacock. After Comcast split the channel from its sister property NBC News, the outlet rebranded as MS NOW and began exploring a dedicated membership model. The move follows a broader industry shift toward direct-to-consumer revenue, as cable-carriage fees have plateaued. Versant, the parent company, has positioned the service as “more than streaming,” aiming to monetize highly engaged audiences across its news brands.

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• The network reports that its typical viewer watches about nine hours of programming per week, the second-most among cable news channels.

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• Digital reach includes over 3.2 billion views on YouTube and TikTok year-to-date and more than 80 million podcast downloads so far this year.

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• Competitor pricing: CNN’s “All Access” costs $6.99 per month, while Fox Nation is priced at $8.99 per month. Fox Nation, launched in 2018, has amassed roughly 2 million subscribers.

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• MS NOW’s audience skews Democratic and progressive, with less than 10 percent overlap between its linear TV viewers and digital audience, according to Comscore data.

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She added that the network will continue to test and refine the product to meet the needs of both “loyal MS NOW fans” and “future fans.”

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A staff memo from Kutler, prepared a year after the network began researching a member model, cited 18,000 survey responses and one-on-one consumer conversations that shaped the final design, which focuses on “super fans” and “future fans.”

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• “Our Membership is the first step in a long-term strategy to deepen our relationship with audiences in ways that build on what they already value about MS NOW, while addressing what consumers told us was missing from the news experience,” — Rebecca Kutler, MS NOW president

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• “MS NOW and CNBC are very strong brands with highly engaged audiences,” — Mark Lazarus, for versant CEO

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• “We are creating direct-to-consumer products, not streaming products, because it is much broader than just streaming what we do on television. It is about serving those engaged audiences with content that is not just replicative of what we do on television.” — Rebecca Kutler, MS NOW president

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The introductory $39.99 annual rate expires at the end of September, after which the standard $79.99 price will apply. MS NOW also plans a “Live: Together In Texas” forum later this month, featuring anchors and political figures such as Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, Jen Psaki, Stephanie Ruhle, Ali Velshi and Chris Hayes. Executives indicate that the membership will serve as a foundation for further direct-to-consumer initiatives across Versant’s news properties.

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