Top of the Ticker: MS NOW has unveiled its newest direct-to-consumer product, Membership, which the network says is an additive experience to its already existing television and digital offerings.
“Our mission has always been to inform, engage, and empower our audience,” said Rebecca Kutler, president of MS NOW. “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.”
Launching on Wednesday, Sept. 9, MS NOW Membership will be available for $7.99 per month or $79.99 annually, with an introductory annual offer of $39.99 running from launch till Sept. 30. This DTC product will offer new opportunities for the network’s members to interact directly with the brand’s trusted journalists, exclusive community features to engage with each other, a new roster of contributors and experts, original creator content, new verticals that explore how news and politics impact everyday life, and 24/7 access to live streams and television programming.
Lineup refresh: ABC News is experimenting with different programming ideas and styles for its streaming news channel ABC News Live. Four new programs are joining the schedule in the next few months, including Searched, Burden of Proof, Doctor’s Note, and a weekly newsmaker interview program, All Access with Linsey Davis. ABC News says these new programs bring real-time viewer feedback and interest to the forefront, focus on specific themes, and will stream on Disney+, Hulu, ABC News Live, and across ABC News digital platforms, and will be available on the ABC News Podcast Network.
Legal case: Samira Said has accused CBS News’ chief correspondent Matt Gutman of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment while they were both at ABC News. Said, who filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court on August 14, alleged that, during an assignment with an all-male crew, Gutman started a discussion where they rated a female correspondent’s appearance and tried to get the former ABC News field producer to join in. The other incident involved a disagreement as to when to leave a work site, with Gutman sexually insinuating that Said had an after-hours work date.
Revolving Door: Whoever owns CNN will be guaranteed that the primetime debates will continue, as the network has signed Abby Phillip to a new contract, keeping her in-house for the foreseeable future. According to Variety, locking in Phillip means that the network’s talent from 8 to 11 p.m., including Anderson Cooper and Kaitlan Collins, have now agreed to long-term deals with the network.
MS NOW has announced that Felicia Schwartz is joining the network as a national security reporter. Schwartz will be based in Washington, D.C., bringing more than 10 years of foreign affairs, diplomacy, and national security reporting.
