MSNBC to Become MS NOW

The DL: Longtime NBC news channel MSNBC will change its name later this year as it separates from Comcast’s NBCUniversal. The new brand will be MS NOW (My Source News Opinion World). It is a new company that will house the spinoff NBC cable TV networks. A new national marketing campaign will be starting in the coming weeks. The brand separation will lose the NBC news peacock logo. It is looking to spin off as a publicly traded company before the end of the year. They are ramping up hiring about 100 new employees. CNBC, sister cable network, will not change its name. CNBC was created around the brand name Consumer News and Business Channel. MSNBC started in 1996 as a joint venture of NBC New and Microsoft.

Advertising on News Platforms

The DL: A recent USA TODAY article emphasizes the importance of advertising on local/national news platforms to enhance brand visibility and engagement. Approximately 80 million U.S. adults, identified as "news junkies," exhibit a 66% purchase intent, significantly surpassing the general population, and demonstrate greater brand trust and loyalty. Research dispels concerns over brand safety, revealing no reputational risks from ads placed near sensitive topics, while achieving three times the return on advertising spend compared to other media channels. The segment of exclusive news junkies, now comprising 14% of U.S. adults (up from 11% last year), represents a growing and highly engaged audience.

Advertisers Shift from Linear TV to Streaming

The DL: Prime-time TV is no longer the powerhouse it once was. MDI’s report shows how much viewers have taken control of the experience and lured the ad dollars away with them. Ad spending continued its shift away from linear TV to streaming during this year’s upfront ad-buying season, but, thanks in part to the growth of free ad-supported streaming services (FASTs), buyers managed to improve costs, per a new report from Media Dynamics. Still, streaming services are beginning to feel some pressure. The growing popularity of FASTs, coupled with increased supply from ad-supported tiers from the premium providers, has become an advantage for buyers, who have continued to reduce their CPMs.

MediAI Minute

Google AI Overviews Publisher Referral Traffic

DL: A recent analysis has revealed a significant decline in publisher referral traffic following the implementation of Google's AI Overviews. According to a study by Digital Content Next (DCN), a majority of its member sites, which include both news and entertainment brands, have experienced a drop in Google search referral traffic ranging from 1% to 25% between May and June. The median year-over-year decline was 10% overall, with news brands seeing a 7% decrease and non-news brands facing a more substantial 14% drop. This data challenges Google's earlier statements that AI Overviews would not lead to dramatic traffic declines. Other organizations, such as the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) in the U.K., have also reported similar negative impacts, with some publishers seeing click-through rates plummet. As a result, publishers are exploring various strategies to mitigate these effects, including adapting their SEO practices and focusing on building stronger brand recognition to counteract the eroding trust in top search rankings.