MSNBC Unveils Major Shift to Digital Content

Home , MSNBC, Phil Griffin, Shift (MSNBC)

12.15.2014

â€‹MSNBC unveiled a raft of new programming featuring network talent covering everything from sports, to pop culture, to the green movement. And none of it will appear on air.

The cable news network unveiled a major new streaming video portal called Shift by MSNBC on Monday, as part of NBCUniversal's bid to halt hemorrhaging ratings and shift editorial focus away from all-politics-all-the-time.

But NBCUniversal is signaling that it's ready to dive head first into what it sees as the digital future of television by keeping the new programming online only. MSNBC talent may appear on-air to cross-promote their new shows on Shift, but the series will not air in their entirety on the linear network.

"We've got to keep evolving," MSNBC boss Phil Griffin told Variety on Monday. "We had great success in 2006 to 2012, 2013, with our sensibility, but I think now, with the media exploding, we've got to adjust a little bit too, and figure out new ways to grab audiences."

Among the new programs to appear on Shift:

- The Briefing, a twice-weekly politics show with Luke Russert - Out There, covering LGBT issues, with Thomas Roberts

- Krystal Clear, targeting younger women's issues, with Krystal Ball

- Three Cents, an economics show hosted by The New York Times' Josh Barro, who writes the paper's The Upshot blog

- Left Field, diving into sports issues, with a host that has yet to be named.

Around 82 percent of Americans already get their news from a desktop or laptop computer, according to Pew's latest figures on the State of the Media, and 54 percent use a mobile device.

MSNBC is betting that viewers-or rather content consumers-will care less and less about which platform they receive their news on, and will be open to services like Shift.

Griffin made it clear that the primetime block of programming on the linear channel will not be affected by the launch of Shift, with neither primetime talent going to the new platform, nor Shift packages appearing on air. Griffin said the network views primetime as "premium" according to Variety.

While Shift will be initially be available to anyone regardless of whether he or she subscribes to a television provider-MSNBC doesn't want to discourage sampling-NBCUniversal may opt to shift it to authentication if it proves popular with users.

MSNBC is deploying Shift talent onto the linear channel to promote the new platform as it launches this week, and is pushing the #ShiftHappens hashtag on its social media channels.