 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | United States and Canada |
| Headquarters |
|
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | NBCUniversal (Comcast) |
| Parent | NBCUniversal News Group |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | July 15, 1996 (1996-7-15) |
| Replaced |
|
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Digital terrestrial television | Channel 20.4 (Alexandria, Minnesota) |
| Streaming media | |
| Service(s) | Hulu + Live TV,Sling TV,FuboTV,YouTube TV |
MSNBC is an Americancable news channel owned by theNBCUniversal News Group division ofNBCUniversal, a subsidiary ofComcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at30 Rockefeller Plaza inManhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts rolling news coverage andliberal-leaningpolitical commentary.
MSNBC was originally established as part of a joint venture betweenNBC News andMicrosoft (with its name being aportmanteau ofMSN andNBC), encompassing the channel and the news websiteMSNBC.com. Microsoft would divest its stake in the channel in 2005, followed by the website in 2012; the website was then rebranded as NBCNews.com to associate it more closely with the NBC News division, leaving MSNBC.com to become a website for the channel and its opinion content.
MSNBC initially focused onrolling news coverage, including long-form reports,interactive programs, and stories contributed by thelocal news departments of NBC's affiliates. By the late-2000s, MSNBC shifted to primarily airing opinion-based programming featuring liberal commentators such asKeith Olbermann,Chris Matthews,David Gregory,Ed Schultz, andRachel Maddow; in 2010, MSNBC would beatCNN in primetime and overall viewership for the first time since 2001. In the mid-2010s, amid a decline in viewership, MSNBC increased its focus on hard news coverage, and added programs incorporating NBC News personalities. Under new leadership, MSNBC gradually decreased its reliance on NBC News personalities in the early-2020s, and began expanding opinion programming in its morning and weekend lineups.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, MSNBC was the second most-watched cable news network in the U.S., averaging 792,000 total day viewers, behind rivalFox News, which averaged 1.212 million viewers, and ahead ofCNN, which averaged 502,000 viewers.[1] In 2023, MSNBC's top five highest-rated shows wereThe Rachel Maddow Show,The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell,Deadline: White House,The Beat with Ari Melber, andAll in with Chris Hayes.[2][3][4][5] In November 2023, MSNBC's most watched nightly shows wereThe Beat with Ari Melber andDeadline: White House;The Beat was "the highest-rated non-Fox News show in the demo" on cable news,AdWeek reported,[6][7] averaging around 1.8 million viewers that year.[8]
| 1912 | Universal Pictures is founded |
|---|---|
| 1926 | NBC is founded |
| 1928 | Walter Lantz Productions is established |
| 1943 | MCA Inc. establishes Revue Studios (laterUniversal Television) |
| 1953 | NBC begins first compatible color broadcasts, preceding other networks by nine years |
| 1963 | American Cable Systems is founded |
| 1964 | Universal Studios Hollywood opens |
| 1967 | NBC broadcasts the firstSuper Bowl |
| 1968 | American Cable Systems rebrands toComcast |
| 1972 | Comcast began trading on theNational Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) |
| 1975 | Filmworks is founded |
| 1976 | Filmworks becomes Casablanca Record & Filmworks |
| 1980 | PolyGram renames Casablanca Record & Filmworks to PolyGram Pictures MCA Videocassette‚ Inc. (laterUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment) is established |
| 1983 | PolyGram Pictures closes |
| 1984 | Walter Lantz Productions' assets are sold to Universal Telemundo is founded |
| 1986 | General Electric re-purchases its former subsidiaryRCA for $6.4 billion, including NBC and a stake inA&E |
| 1987 | PolyGram Movies is founded |
| 1989 | NBC relaunchesTempo Television asCNBC |
| 1990 | Universal Studios Florida opens Law & Order premieres on NBC PolyGram Movies is renamedPolyGram Filmed Entertainment Sky Television andBritish Satellite Broadcasting merge to form British Sky Broadcasting Universal Cartoon Studios (laterUniversal Animation Studios) is established |
| 1993 | Homicide: Life on the Street premieres on NBC Universal releasesJurassic Park |
| 1994 | DreamWorks Animation is founded New York Undercover premieres onFox |
| 1995 | Seagram acquires Universal through its acquisition of MCA NBC andMicrosoft replaceAmerica's Talking with MSNBC |
| 1998 | Seagram acquires PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Barry Diller purchases Universal's domestic television assets Universal Television is renamed Studios USA Television |
| 1999 | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment is folded into Universal Pictures Universal Studios Florida expands to becomeUniversal Orlando Resort Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premieres on NBC |
| 2000 | Seagram is sold toVivendi and merged withStudioCanal to become Vivendi Universal Entertainment |
| 2001 | Grand opening ofUniversal Studios Japan Law & Order: Criminal Intent premieres on NBC Vivendi purchases Studios USA |
| 2002 | NBC acquiresTelemundo andBravo Studios USA assets are folded into Universal Focus Features is formed Comcast acquiresAT&T Broadband for $44.5 billion |
| 2004 | GE and Vivendi merge NBC and Universal intoNBCUniversal |
| 2005 | The Office premieres on NBC Comcast sets up a joint-venture withPBS,Sesame Workshop &HIT Entertainment to form PBS Kids Sprout Comcast &Time Warner Cable jointly acquireAdelphia Cable assets for $17.6 billion |
| 2007 | Illumination is founded |
| 2010 | Universal releases Illumination's first filmDespicable Me |
| 2011 | Vivendi divested in NBCU; Comcast buys 51% of NBCU from GE, turning it into a limited liability company NBCUniversal Archives is founded |
| 2012 | Universal celebrates its 100th anniversary NBCUniversal divests itsA&E Networks minority stake |
| 2013 | Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCU Comcast/NBCU assumes full ownership of Sprout |
| 2014 | Comcast attempts to acquireTime Warner Cable for $45.2 billion NBCUniversal reaches a new long-term deal withWWE |
| 2016 | NBCU acquiresDreamWorks Animation |
| 2017 | Sprout relaunches asUniversal Kids |
| 2018 | Comcast acquires Sky from21st Century Fox |
| 2019 | NBCU acquires Cineo Lighting |
| 2020 | NBCU launchesPeacock |
| 2025 | NBCUniversal annouces the closure of Universal Kids |
MSNBC was established in 1996 under a strategic partnership betweenNBC andMicrosoft. NBC executiveTom Rogers was instrumental in developing the partnership.James Kinsella, a Microsoft executive, served as president of the online component, MSNBC.com, and represented the technology company in the joint venture.[9] Microsoft invested $221 million for a 50 percent share of the cable channel.[10] MSNBC and Microsoft shared the cost of a $200 million newsroom inSecaucus, New Jersey, formsnbc.com. The network took over the channel space of NBC's two-year-oldAmerica's Talking (AT) network, although in most cases cable carriage had to be negotiated with providers who had never carried AT.[citation needed]
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MSNBC was launched on July 15, 1996. The first show was anchored byJodi Applegate and included news, interviews, andcommentary.[11] During the day, rolling news coverage continued withThe Contributors, a show that featuredAnn Coulter andLaura Ingraham, as well as interactive programming coordinated by Applegate,John Gibson, andJohn Seigenthaler. Stories were generally longer and more detailed than the storiesCNN was running. NBC also highlighted their broadcast connections by airing stories directly from NBC's network affiliates, along with breaking news coverage from the same sources.[12]
MSNBC gradually increased its emphasis on politics.[13] After completing its seven-year survey of cable channels, theProject for Excellence in Journalism said in 2007 that "MSNBC is moving to make politics a brand, with a large dose of opinion and personality."[14]
In January 2001,Mike Barnicle's MSNBC show started, but it was canceled in June 2001 because of high production costs.[15] In June, Microsoft chief executive officerSteve Ballmer said that he would not have started MSNBC had he foreseen the difficulty of attracting viewers.[16]
After theSeptember 11, 2001, attacks, NBC used MSNBC as an outlet for the up-to-the-minute coverage being provided by NBC News as a supplement to the longer stories on broadcast NBC. With little financial news to cover,CNBC andCNBC Europe ran MSNBC for many hours each day following the attacks. The year also boosted the profile ofAshleigh Banfield, who was present during the collapse ofBuilding 7 while covering the World Trade Center on September 11.[17] HerRegion in Conflict program capitalized on her newfound celebrity and showcased exclusive interviews fromAfghanistan.[18]
In the aftermath of September 11, MSNBC began calling itself "America's NewsChannel" and hired opinionated hosts likeAlan Keyes,Phil Donahue,Pat Buchanan, andTucker Carlson.[19] This branding makeover, however, was followed by declining ratings.[20]
On December 23, 2005, NBC Universal announced its acquisition of an additional 32 percent share of MSNBC from Microsoft,[21] which solidified its control over television operations and allowed NBC to further consolidate MSNBC's backroom operations with NBC News and its other cable properties. (The news website msnbc.com remained a separate joint venture between Microsoft and NBC for another seven years.) NBC later exercised its option to purchase Microsoft's remaining 18 percent interest in MSNBC.
In late 2005, MSNBC began attracting liberal and progressive viewers asKeith Olbermann began critiquing and satirizingconservative media commentators during hisCountdown With Keith Olbermann program. He especially focused his attention on theFox News Channel andBill O'Reilly, its principal primetime commentator.
On June 7, 2006,Rick Kaplan resigned as president of MSNBC after holding the post for two years.[22] Five days later,Dan Abrams, a nine-year veteran of MSNBC and NBC News, was named general manager of MSNBC with immediate effect. NBC News senior vice president Phil Griffin would oversee MSNBC while continuing to oversee NBC News'Today program, with Abrams reporting to Griffin.
On June 29, 2006, Abrams announced the revamp of MSNBC's early-primetime and primetime schedule. On July 10,Tucker (formerlyThe Situation with Tucker Carlson) started airing at 4 p.m. and 6 pm. ET (taking over Abrams' old timeslot), whileRita Cosby'sLive & Direct was canceled. Cosby was made the primary anchor forMSNBC Investigates at 10 and 11 pm. ET, a new program that took over Cosby and Carlson's timeslots. According to the press release,MSNBC Investigates promised to "complement MSNBC's existing programming by building on [the channel's] library of award-winning documentaries."[23] The move to taped programming during 10 and 11 p.m. probably resulted from MSNBC's successful Friday "experiment" of replacing all primetime programming with taped specials.
On September 24, 2007, Abrams announced that he was leaving his general manager position so he could focus on his 9:00 pm. ET talk show,Live With Dan Abrams. Oversight of MSNBC was shifted to Phil Griffin, a senior vice president at NBC.[24]
MSNBC and NBC News began broadcasting from their new studios at NBC's 30 Rockefeller Plaza complex in New York City on October 22, 2007.[25] The extensive renovations of the associated studios allowed NBC to merge its entire news operation into one building. All MSNBC broadcasts andNBC Nightly News originate from the new studios. More than 12.5 hours of live television across the NBC News family originate from the New York studios daily. MSNBC also announced new studios near theUniversal Studios lot.[26] MSNBC's master control did not make the move to 30 Rock. It remained in the old Secaucus headquarters until it completed its move to the NBC Universal Network Origination Center located inside the CNBC Global Headquarters building inEnglewood Cliffs, New Jersey in 2007.
Major League Baseball uses the former MSNBC building forMLB Network, which launched from the facility on January 1, 2009.[27]
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From mid-2007 to mid-2008, MSNBC enjoyed a large increase in itsNielsen ratings.[28] Primetime viewings increased by 61 percent.[28] In May 2008, NBC News presidentSteve Capus said, "It used to be people didn't have to worry about MSNBC because it was an also-ran cable channel.... That's not the case anymore."[28]Tim Russert's sudden death in June 2008 removed the person whomThe Wall Street Journal called the "rudder for the network" and led to a period of transition.[29]
During the2008 presidential election, MSNBC's coverage was anchored by Olbermann,Chris Matthews, andDavid Gregory. They were widely viewed as the face of the channel's political coverage.[29] During the first three months of the presidential campaign, MSNBC's ratings grew by 158 percent.[30] Olbermann and Matthews, however, were criticized for expressing left-leaning opinions on the channel. Both were later removed from their anchor positions.[31] Audience viewership during the 2008 presidential campaign more than doubled from the2004 presidential election, and the channel topped CNN in ratings for the first time during the last three months of the campaign in the key 25–54 age demographic.[32][31]
In September 2008, the channel hired political analyst andAir America Radio personalityRachel Maddow to hostThe Rachel Maddow Show. The move to create a new program for the channel was widely seen as a well-calculated ratings move, where beforehand, MSNBC lagged behind in coveted primetime ratings.[30] The show regularly outperformed CNN'sLarry King Live, and made the channel competitive in the program's time slot for the first time in over a decade.[33][34]
In the first quarter of 2010, MSNBC beat CNN in primetime and overall ratings for the first time since 2001.[35] The channel also beat CNN in total adult viewers in March, marking the seventh out of the past eight months that MSNBC achieved that result.[35] In addition, the programsMorning Joe,The Ed Show,Hardball with Chris Matthews,Countdown with Keith Olbermann, andThe Rachel Maddow Show finished ahead of their time slot competitors at CNN.[35][36]
In the third quarter of 2010, MSNBC continued its solid lead over CNN, beating the network in total day for the first time since the second quarter of 2001 in the key adult demographic.[37] The network also beat CNN for the fourth consecutive quarter, among both primetime and total viewers, as well as becoming the only cable news network to have its key adult demographic viewership grow over the last quarter, increasing by 4 percent. During this time, MSNBC also became the number-one cable news network in primetime among both African American and Hispanic viewers.[37]
On October 11, 2010, MSNBC unveiled a new $2 million marketing campaign, "Lean Forward"; MSNBC president Phil Griffin considered the two-year campaign an effort to promote the channel as aprogressive competitor to theconservative-leaningFox News Channel, explaining that "we've taken on CNN and we beat them," and that the new slogan was "about making tomorrow better than today, a discussion about politics and the actions and passions of our time."[38][39]
On January 21, 2011, Olbermann announced his departure from MSNBC and the episode would be the final episode ofCountdown.[40][41] His departure received much media attention.[42][43][44] MSNBC issued a statement that it had ended its contract with Olbermann, with no further explanation. Olbermann later revealed that he had taken his show toCurrent TV.[45]
On July 16, 2012, Microsoft sold its stake in MSNBC.com to NBCUniversal; concurrently, the website was rebranded as NBCNews.com to associate it with the NBC News division as a whole, while MSNBC.com was later relaunched as a website for the channel itself. Concerns had previously been raised by NBC News executives over potential confusion between the two properties due to their diverging editorial scopes, as MSNBC.com had largely remained a general-interest news website despite the channel's pivot towards political commentary.[46][47] NBCUniversal News Group was created on July 19, 2012, under chairwoman Pat Fili-Krushel. It has been the news division of NBCUniversal. It is composed of the NBC News,CNBC and MSNBC units.[48]
During 2014, MSNBC's total ratings in the 25–54 demographic declined 20 percent, falling to third place behind CNN. Nevertheless, MSNBC retained its lead among the Hispanic and African-American demographics.[49]
Andrew Lack became the chairman of NBC News and MSNBC in 2015; he would impose a mandate on the network to reduce its emphasis on opinion programming, and place a larger focus on creating closer ties between it and the NBC News division.[50][51]
In 2015, to help revive the struggling network, Griffin announced he was transitioning MSNBC from left-leaning, opinionated programming to hard news programming. Nearly all daytime opinionated news programs were replaced with more generic news programs.Ronan Farrow,Joy Reid,Krystal Ball,Touré,Abby Huntsman,Alex Wagner, andEd Schultz lost their shows.Al Sharpton'sPoliticsNation was relegated to the weekend. News programs presented by established NBC News personalities such asTelemundo anchorJose Diaz-Balart,Meet the Press anchorChuck Todd,NBC Nightly News Sunday anchorKate Snow,Thomas Roberts, and formerNBC Nightly News anchorBrian Williams replaced the opinion shows.[52] The revamped on-air presentation debuted in late summer 2015 and included a new logo, news ticker, and graphics package.[53][54]
MSNBC Live had at least eight hours of programming each day, barring any breaking news that could extend its time. Daytime news coverage was led primarily by Brian Williams,Stephanie Ruhle, Jose Diaz-Balart, Andrea Mitchell, Craig Melvin, Thomas Roberts, and Kate Snow, in addition to "beat leaders" stationed throughout the newsroom. These included chief legal correspondentAri Melber, primary political reporterSteve Kornacki, business and finance correspondent Olivia Sterns, and senior editorCal Perry. Morning and primetime programming did not change and remained filled mostly by opinionated personalities.[55]
In April 2016, MSNBC launched a promotional ad campaign with the theme, "in order to know beyond, you have to go beyond." The campaign portrayed MSNBC's reporting and perspectives as "in depth" and an alternative to "talking points" coverage on other cable news outlets.[56][non-primary source needed][better source needed][dubious –discuss] A new tagline "This is who we are" appeared on MSNBC in June 2016.[57] Promotional campaigns including the slogan were aired in March 2017.[58]
In July 2016, the network debutedDateline Extra, which was an abridged version ofDateline NBC and another step towards aligning MSNBC and NBC News. The new program was hosted byMSNBC Live anchorTamron Hall.[59]
In September 2016, MSNBC launchedThe 11th Hour with Brian Williams as a nightly wrap-up of the day's news and a preview of the following day's headlines. This was MSNBC's first new primetime program in nearly four years.
In January 2017, MSNBC debuted a program in the 6 pm ET hour entitledFor the Record with Greta, hosted by former Fox News Channel anchorGreta Van Susteren.[60] The program aired for six months before being cancelled in late June 2017. The network promoted Ari Melber, the network's chief legal correspondent, to hostThe Beat with Ari Melber at 6 pm.
In March 2017, MSNBC began to increase its use of the NBC News branding during daytime news programming, as part of an effort to emphasize MSNBC's relationship with the division.[61] On May 8, 2017, MSNBC introduced a new late-afternoon program,Deadline: White House, hosted by NBC political analyst and former White House communications directorNicolle Wallace.[62] That month, amid thefirst presidency of Donald Trump, MSNBC became the highest rated American cable news network in primetime for the first time. MSNBC's increasing viewership was accompanied by declining numbers at Fox News Channel. MSNBC's May 15–19 programming topped the programming of both CNN and Fox News in total viewers and viewers 18–49.[63][36]
On April 16, 2018, MSNBC premiered a new early morning program,Morning Joe First Look, to replaceWay Too Early. The same day, MSNBC also retired its on-airnews ticker, citing a desire to reduce distractions and "[put] our reporting more front and center".[64] As of September 2018, approximately 87 million households in the United States (90.7 percent of pay television subscribers) were receiving MSNBC.[citation needed]
On March 2, 2020, Chris Matthews abruptly announced his resignation fromHardball and MSNBC effective immediately, amid controversy over remarks he made during coverage of theNevada Democratic caucuses that comparedBernie Sanders' victory to theGerman invasion of France.[65] The hour was hosted by a rotation of anchors until July 20, when MSNBC premieredThe ReidOut withJoy Reid.[66]
On December 7, 2020, MSNBC announced thatRashida Jones would succeed Griffin as president in 2021.[67] Jones stated goals to increase the network's investment into documentary-style programs, and to have viewers "clearly understand" the differences and value of its news-based and analysis-driven programming, as both were "critical to our future success", and "need to exist in a clear and compelling form on every single platform where news consumers go." As part of this remit, Jones named separate senior vice presidents for news programming and "perspective and analysis" programming.[68]
In January 2021, MSNBC had its highest-rated week ever in the wake of theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack, exceeding the ratings ofFox News for the first time since 2000.[69]
On March 29, 2021, MSNBC introduced a refreshed logo and on-air imaging, including a rebranding of itsMSNBC Live rolling news block asMSNBC Reports (with each block carrying the anchor's name, patterned after the existing daytime showAndrea Mitchell Reports).[70][71] Under Jones, MSNBC also began to scale back its tighter integrations with NBC News, with some personalities and reporters leaving the network, or prioritizing contributions to NBC News' streaming channelNBC News Now instead.[51][72]
In July 2021, MSNBC gained a presence on NBCUniversal'sPeacock streaming service by co-branding its streaming hub "The Choice" as "The Choice by MSNBC"; it included original news and opinion programs with personalities such asMehdi Hasan,Zerlina Maxwell, andSam Seder.[73][74][75][76]
Brian Williams departed the network in late 2021 and was succeeded onThe 11th Hour by Stephanie Ruhle.[77] Meanwhile, as part of her new contract with NBCUniversal, Rachel Maddow took an extended hiatus from her program to focus on other film andpodcast projects, with rotating guest hosts filling in for her. Upon Maddow's return, she announced that she would only host the show on Monday nights beginning in May 2022, and continue to feature guest hosts throughout the rest of the week.[78][79] The guest hosts appeared under theMSNBC Prime banner until August 16, 2022, whenAlex Wagner became the permanent host in the timeslot with the premiere ofAlex Wagner Tonight.[80][81]
On March 10, 2022, it was announced that MSNBC would launch a hub on Peacock to subsume The Choice by MSNBC, including next-day, on-demand streaming of selected MSNBC programs, as well as specials anddocumentaries.[82]
By 2022, MSNBC had begun to partly scale back its focus on hard news programming, including expandingMorning Joe with a fourth hour (displacing an hour ofMSNBC Reports anchored byStephanie Ruhle, who moved toThe 11th Hour to succeed Brian Williams).[83] Ahead of themid-term elections,The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell was temporarily replaced on Friday evenings from October 14 to November 8, 2022, byThe Kornacki Countdown, a weekly series hosted by MSNBC political correspondent and analystSteve Kornacki.[84] On March 19, 2023, MSNBC premiered the new Sunday-morning programInside withJen Psaki, which is hosted by the former White House press secretary.[85] Between February and September 2023, the Monday edition ofAll in with Chris Hayes also featured rotating guest hosts, withChris Hayes only hosting from Tuesdays to Fridays to accommodate Hayes' other projects. On September 7, 2023, it was announced that the program would be replaced by an additional Monday-night edition ofInside with Jen Psaki beginning September 25.[86]
On January 13, 2024, MSNBC revamped its weekend schedule, endingMehdi Hasan's 9 p.m. ET show on Sundays and introducing an ensemble show—The Weekend—hosted byAlicia Menendez,Symone Sanders-Townsend, andMichael Steele from 8–10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The revamp would also endYasmin Vossoughian Reports,Symone, andAmerican Voices, and moveTheSunday/Saturday ShowwithJonathan Capehart into the 6 p.m. slot andThe Katie Phang Show to 12 p.m. on Saturdays.Ayman would also expand to two hours each on Saturdays and Sundays, andAlex Witt Reports would take over Yasmin Vossoughian's vacated two hours, now airing from 1–4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.[87][88] The 5 p.m. hour would be filled by the week-in-review showsThe Beat Weekend andMSNBC Prime Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, which air highlights fromThe Beat and MSNBC's weekday lineup respectively.[89]
On November 20, 2024, NBCUniversal announced its intent to spin off most of its cable networks, including MSNBC, as a new publicly traded company controlled by Comcast shareholders. It was initially unclear how the spin-off will affect MSNBC, including whether it will still be able to use NBC News resources or the NBC brand.[90][91] Following the announcement, reports emerged of unsolicited offers to buy MSNBC from several parties; CNN media analystBrian Stelter believed it was unlikely MSNBC would be sold, as NBCUniversal never declared any intent to divest properties when announcing the spin-off (with future CEO Mark Lazarus contrarily suggesting that the spin-off planned to target further investments and acquisitions), a sale would incur taxes (the spin-off is being structured to be tax-free), and that divesting the channel might not be seen as being in the best interest of shareholders.[92]
On January 13, 2025, it was announced thatThe Rachel Maddow Show would temporarily return to a weeknight schedule from January 20 through April 30, to cover thefirst hundred days of thesecond presidency of Donald Trump. During this time, Alex Wagner would be placed on special assignment duty.[93] On January 14, 2025, it was announced that Jones would step down as head of MSNBC. NBCUniversal executive Mark Lazarus also stated that MSNBC would be allowed to continue using its existing brand after the spin-off.[94][95] After acting as interim president, Rebecca Kutler was appointed president of MSNBC in February 2025.[96]
On February 23, 2025, it was reported that Kutler was planning a series of major changes to MSNBC's lineup, as well as plans to expand its newsgathering resources, establish a dedicated Washington bureau, and pursueJacqueline Alemany andEugene Daniels for on-air roles.[97][98] On February 24, 2025, Kutler announced upcoming changes to MSNBC's lineup;The ReidOut was cancelled, with Joy Reid leaving the network after that night's episode. Her hour will be filled by rotating anchors in the interim,[99] until the premiere of a new 7 p.m. show hosted byThe Weekend's panel of Alicia Menendez, Symone Sanders-Townsend, and Michael Steele. The new program will also substitute forAll In on Mondays.[97][98]
Alex Wagner Tonight will be replaced by a new show hosted by Jen Psaki; Wagner will remain with MSNBC as a senior political correspondent. Changes were also announced to theMSNBC Reports block, with José Díaz-Balart departing the network, and Ana Cabrera, Chris Jansing, and Katy Tur's blocks each expanded to two hours. On weekends,Velshi will be expanded to three hours, whileThe Weekend will adopt new panels—withJonathan Capehart to join the morning edition, andAyman Mohyeldin to join a new 6 p.m. edition.[97][98] In March 2025, MSNBC announced that Alemany and Daniels would serve as panelists for the morning edition ofThe Weekend, with Daniels also serving as MSNBC's new senior Washington correspondent.[100][101]
In September 2018, approximately. 87 million households in the United States were receiving MSNBC, amounting to 90.7 percent of pay television subscribers.[102]Nielsen ratings showed that MSNBC ranked second among basic cable networks, averaging 1.8 million viewers[clarification needed] in 2019, behind rivalFox News.[103][104]
In 2022, average weekday primetime viewership was 1.2 million, compared to rival Fox News's 2.3 million, a decline of 21% from the previous year, and with 148,000 viewers in the "key demographic" of viewers aged 25–54.[105][106] In 2023,Variety reported thatThe Beat was one of the two "most-watched news programs on cable", alongsideThe Five on Fox News.[2]
During the first night of the2020 Democratic National Convention, MSNBC had an average viewership of over 5 million, the highest among three major cable news networks and ahead ofCNN.[107]
A 2014Pew Research Center study found that MSNBC's audience was more moderate than that ofBuzzFeed,Politico,The Washington Post, andThe New York Times, but slightly more liberal thanCNN's audience.[108]
A 2019 Pew Research Center survey showed that among Americans who named MSNBC as their main source for political news, 74% are ages 50 or older, with 44% ages 65 or older. 95% of those who named MSNBC as their main political news source identify asDemocrats; among the eight most commonly named main sources for political and election news by US adults, MSNBC and Fox News have the most partisan audiences.[109]
Before 2010, MSNBC was not available toVerizon FiOS andAT&T U-verse television subscribers in the portions of New York, northernNew Jersey, andConnecticut that overlappedCablevision's service area. One of several reasons for this was an exclusive carriage agreement between MSNBC and Cablevision that prohibited competing wired providers from carrying MSNBC.[110] The terms of the agreement were not publicly known.[citation needed]
In 2009, Verizon filed a formal "program-access complaint" with theFederal Communications Commission and petitioned for termination of the deal. In support of Verizon, Connecticut Attorney GeneralRichard Blumenthal argued that the arrangement could be illegal.[111] After entering into a new contract, FiOS added the channel in New York City and New Jersey on February 2, 2010.[112]
In southern Africa, MSNBC is distributed free-to-air on satellite on Free2View TV as MSNBC Africa, a joint venture between Great Media Limited and MSNBC. Free2View airs MSNBC's programming from 4 p.m. to midnight ET in a block that repeats twice (live for the first airing), with local Weather Channel forecasts.[113]
In Australia, MSNBC launched November 2019 on theFetch TV online PayTV network, on channel 171.[114] As in Canada, this is a direct US feed of MSNBC, without any delay. Although Fetch TV has no MSNBC catchup channel/service, it also offers MSNBC programs on a reverse EPG which allows any shows from the previous 24 hours to be selected and watched. The channel was added to subscription-television outletFoxtel and its streaming serviceFlash in April 2023, as part of a negotiated programming agreement between theFoxtel Group and NBCUniversal.[115] It was also added toBinge, another of Foxtel's streaming services, in October 2023.[116][117]
In Asia and Europe, MSNBC is not shown on a dedicated channel. When MSNBC started in 1996, they announced plans to start broadcasting in Europe during 1997. This never happened although MSNBC was seen occasionally on affiliate channelCNBC Europe until the end of the 2000s, showing the channel overnight at the weekend and during the afternoon on American public holidays as well as duringbreaking news events.
In Turkey, NTV-MSNBC is the news channel of the Turkish broadcasterNTV Turkey. The channel is a joint partnership between the two, although very little Turkish content is shown on English MSNBC. English content on MSNBC is translated into Turkish.[118]
MSNBC and its website msnbc.com were launched concurrently. Unlike the network, msnbc.com was operated as the general online news outlet of NBC News in partnership with Microsoft'sMSN.com portal. The network and website were editorially separate at the time.[119]
In July 2012, NBC acquired Microsoft's remaining stake in msnbc.com, which was re-launched in 2013 as the website for MSNBC. The website included news, videos, essays and opinion columns.[46][120]
YouTube
MSNBC is one of the larger US news publishers on YouTube, with 6 million subscribers and "the highest number of views per subscriber" of any news account.[121] Other news accounts have higher total views, including Fox News and Vox. MSNBC's most watched shows online through YouTube include The Beat with Ari Melber, The Rachel Maddow Show, and Deadline: White House.[122][121]
In July 2014, msnbc.com launchedmsnbc2, a brand for several web-only series hosted by MSNBC personalities.[123] In December 2014, msnbc2 was renamedshift, with a programming schedule that was less focused on politics and more tailored to a younger audience.[124]
MSNBC launched onXM Satellite Radio channel 120 andSirius Satellite Radio channel 90 on April 12, 2010.[125] This is the second time MSNBC has been available on satellite radio. The channel was dropped from XM Radio on September 4, 2006.[126]
The simulcast of MSNBC's programming is onSiriusXM channel 118.[127]
As of 2024[update], MSNBC's evening programming features progressive hosts.[51] In November 2007, aNew York Times article stated that MSNBC's primetime lineup was tilting more to the left.[128] Since then, commentators have argued that MSNBC has a bias towardsliberal politics and theDemocratic Party.Washington Post media analystHoward Kurtz said in 2008 that the channel's evening lineup "has clearly gravitated to the left in recent years and often seems to regard itself as the antithesis of Fox News."[28] In 2011,Politico referred to MSNBC as "left-leaning",[129] and Steve Kornacki ofSalon.com stated that, "MSNBC's prime-time lineup is now awash inprogressive politics."[130] Regarding changes in the channel's evening programming, senior vice president of NBC News Phil Griffin said that "it happened naturally. There isn't a dogma we're putting through. There is a 'Go for it.'"[128]
In the February 2008 issue ofMen's Journal magazine, an MSNBC interviewee quoted a senior executive as saying that liberal commentator Keith Olbermann "runs MSNBC" and that "because of his success, he's in charge" of the channel.[131] In 2007,The New York Times called Olbermann MSNBC's "most recognizable face".[128] In September 2008, MSNBC stated that Olbermann andChris Matthews would no longer anchor live political events, withDavid Gregory assuming that role. MSNBC cited the growing criticism that they were "too opinionated to be seen as neutral in the heat of the presidential campaign."[132][31] Olbermann's showCountdown continued to run before and after the presidential and vice presidential debates, and both Matthews and Olbermann joined Gregory on the channel's election night coverage.[citation needed]
On November 13, 2009, in the days leading up to the release of 2008 Republican vice presidential candidateSarah Palin's bookGoing Rogue, MSNBC'sDylan Ratigan usedphotoshopped pictures of Palin on the channel'sMorning Meeting program. Ratigan apologized a few days later.[133]
In October 2010, MSNBC began using the tagline "Lean Forward". Some media outlets, including msnbc.com, claimed that the network was now embracing its politically progressive identity.[39][134][135]
In January 2012, MSNBC used Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, and other network commentators during its coverage of theIowa Republican caucuses. Nando Di Fino of theMediaite website said MSNBC was "giving up on the straight news coverage, and instead [appearing] to be aiming to create some controversy."[136]
In November 2012,The New York Times called MSNBC "The Anti-Fox" and quoted former President Bill Clinton as saying, "Boy, it really has become our version of Fox."[137] Citing data from theA.C. Nielsen TV ratings service, the article noted that while the Fox News Channel had a larger overall viewership than MSNBC, the two networks were separated by only around 300,000 viewers among the 25–54 age bracket most attractive to advertisers.
In thePew Research Center's 2013 "State of the News Media" report, MSNBC was found to be the most opinionated news network, with 85 percent of the content being commentary or opinions and the remaining 15 percent being factual reporting. The report also stated that in 2012, MSNBC spent only $240 million on news production compared to CNN's $682 million and the Fox News Channel's $820 million.[138]
In October 2019,American socialist magazineJacobin argued that "MSNBC embodies the politics and sensibility of Trump-era liberalism.", but argued that MSNBC "wasn't always liberal."[139]
Writing for thePoynter Institute for Media Studies in February 2021, senior media writer Tom Jones argued that the primary distinction between MSNBC and Fox News is not left bias vs. right bias, but rather that much of the content on Fox News, especially during its primetime programs, is not based in truth.[140]
Under NBC News headCesar Conde, the division had made moves to incorporate more diverse viewpoints—including from conservative perspectives—in its output outside of MSNBC (includingMeet the Press) to counter concerns from NBC's affiliate body that MSNBC's partisan content reflected upon the division as a whole. These moves coincided with MSNBC's own changes in leadership, which resulted in a gradual increase in opinion programming, and as a result, a gradual decrease in talent sharing with the remainder of NBC News.[51]
Some Democratic Party supporters, including former Pennsylvania governorEd Rendell and Bill Clinton advisorLanny Davis,[141] criticized MSNBC during and after the2008 Democratic Party primaries as coveringBarack Obama more favorably thanHillary Clinton. Rendell said, "MSNBC was the official network of the Obama campaign," and called their coverage "absolutely embarrassing".[142][143] Rendell later became an on-air contributor to MSNBC.[144]
A study done by theProject for Excellence in Journalism showed that MSNBC had less negative coverage of Obama (14 percent of stories versus 29 percent in the press overall) and more negative stories about Republican presidential candidateJohn McCain (73 percent of its coverage versus 57 percent in the press overall).[145] MSNBC's on-air slogan during the week of the 2008 presidential election, "The Power of Change", was criticized for being too similar to Obama's campaign slogan of "Hope and Change".[146] After the election, conservative talk show hostJohn Ziegler made a documentary entitledMedia Malpractice.... How Obama Got Elected, which was very critical of the media's role, especially MSNBC's, in the election. While promoting the documentary, he had an on-air dispute with MSNBC news anchorContessa Brewer about how the media, especially MSNBC, had portrayed Sarah Palin.[147]
During MSNBC's coverage of the Potomac primary, MSNBC's Chris Matthews said, "I have to tell you, you know, it's part of reporting this case, this election, the feeling most people get when they hear Barack Obama's speech. My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often." This led Fox News to assert that both he and MSNBC were biased toward Obama.[148]
In June 2010, the MSNBC documentaryRise of the New Right aired. It featured interviews with right-wing figures, includingDick Armey, the former House majority leader,Orly Taitz, a leading figure in the "birther" movement, andconspiracy theorist radio hostAlex Jones. The documentary also showed theMichigan Militia'ssurvival training camp and hit the campaign trail with Kentucky senatorial candidateRand Paul.[149]
The documentary angeredTea Party movement figures and others on the right. After the documentary aired,FreedomWorks, chaired by Armey, called for a boycott ofDawn andProcter & Gamble, which advertised duringHardball with Chris Matthews.[150][151] The attempted boycott was ineffective as Procter & Gamble continued to advertise on the show.[citation needed]
A study by thePew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism found that MSNBC's coverage ofMitt Romney during the final week of the2012 presidential campaign (68 percent negative with no positive stories in the sample) was far more negative than the overall press, and even more negative than it had been during October 1 to 28, when 5 percent was positive, and 57 percent was negative.[152] On the other hand, their coverage of Barack Obama improved in the final week before the presidential election. From 1 to October 28, 33 percent of stories were positive and 13 percent negative. During the campaign's final week, 51 percent of MSNBC's stories were positive, while there were no negative stories about Obama in the sample.
Others have argued that MSNBC has a bias against progressive politics.Phil Donahue's show was canceled in 2003 due to his opposition to the Iraq War, and Donahue later commented that the management of MSNBC required that "we have two conservative (guests) for every liberal. I was counted as two liberals."[153]Cenk Uygur, after his departure from MSNBC in 2011, said that MSNBC management had told him "people in Washington" were "concerned about [his] tone,"[154] and that he "didn't want to work in a place that didn't challenge power."[155]
Others have also noted that MSNBC anchors tended to beconservative orcentrist and wealthy.[156] For example, in 2000, hostJoe Scarborough received a 95 rating from theAmerican Conservative Union and supportedanti-abortion policies when he was aU.S. representative, while hostStephanie Ruhle, a formerhedge fund manager, declared, "I don't have any political ideals that I'm tied to." Former hostChris Matthews identifies as a "liberal" but voted forGeorge W. Bush in 2000, while current hostNicolle Wallace, a registeredRepublican, worked for both Bush andSarah Palin.[156]
Maria Bustillos noted in 2019 that "MSNBC's bland, evenhanded respectability is buttressed with a careful performance of diversity both 'ideological' anddemographic", and that "the network actively discourages consideration of its anchors' personal convictions" in favor of "interchangeable 'television personalities'" who are "compressed into the network's identity and subservient to it."[156] It has been argued that MSNBC, like othercable networks, "is simply not incentivized to be informative", and instead turns its "viewers into partisan junkies who don't change the channel because they need a fix that tells them they're right about everything (and that the other side is wrong)."[157] Jason Linkins in 2014 claimed that MSNBC prefers "the incessant production of insidery ideations" over "the service of the public trust in an honest and equitable way."[158]
Political commentatorMelissa Harris-Perry and her guest panel, in a look back on the 2013 segment ofher show, featured a picture of former Republican presidential candidateMitt Romney and his extended family. Romney was holding on his knee his adopted grandchild, Kieran Romney, an African-American. Harris-Perry and her guests, including actress Pia Glenn and comedianDean Obeidallah, joked about coming up with captions for the photo. Glenn sang out, "One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just isn't the same." Obeidallah said, "It sums up the diversity of the Republican Party and the [Republican National Committee], where they have the whole convention and they find the one black person." Afterwards, Harris-Perry gave an on-air apology as well as apologized in a series oftweets.[159][160]
On February 2, 2019, NBC ran a story about presidential candidateTulsi Gabbard claiming that her campaign was benefiting from Russianstate media, stating that she had received twice as many mentions onRT,Sputnik News andRussia Insider compared to expected front-runnersBernie Sanders andJoe Biden.[161]
In March 2019,Yashar Ali, a journalist forThe Huffington Post accusedDafna Linzer, a managing editor at MSNBC, of ceding editorial control to theDemocratic National Committee. Ali, who planned to announce the locations of the DNC debates in advance of MSNBC, received a call attempting to dissuade him with the phrase "let them make a few phone calls," referring to party leaders.[162] A source quoted by CNN stated that this approach was necessary for any network that has enough of a relationship with the DNC to host its debates.[163]
CandidateAndrew Yang and his supporters have been critical of MSNBC's coverage ofhis campaign and the speaking time allocated to Yang at a November 2019 primary debate hosted by MSNBC.[164]
In December 2019,In These Times analyzed coverage of the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary by MSNBC between August and September 2019.[165][166] They said that "MSNBC talked about Biden twice as often asWarren and three times as often as Sanders", and that Sanders was the candidate spoken of negatively the most frequently of the three."[167]
MSNBC came under particular scrutiny during the first three primary-season state votes in 2020 due to historical references made by two of their hosts.Chris Matthews compared Sanders toGeorge McGovern in terms of electability on February 3 and criticized Sanders for adopting the "democratic socialist" label on February 7.[168][169] In reference to Sanders' praise of some aspects ofFidel Castro'sCuba, Matthews said on air duringHardball, "I believe if Castro and theReds had won the Cold War there would have been executions in Central Park, and I might have been one of the ones executed". He then questioned what Sanders meant when he used the term 'socialism'.[170][171] The following week,Chuck Todd criticized the rhetoric of Sanders supporters by quoting aconservative article which compared them to Nazibrown shirts.[172][173] Commenting on the2020 Nevada Democratic caucuses, Matthews invoked"the fall of France" to the Nazis in 1940 as a metaphor for Sanders' apparent victory in the state.[174] These analogies were criticized by the Sanders campaign and other commentators, who noted that members of Sanders' family had been murdered inthe Holocaust. Matthews later issued an on-air apology to Sanders and his supporters.[175]
Jason Johnson, an MSNBC contributor, was temporarily suspended in February 2020 after backlash over his accusing Bernie Sanders supporters of alienating minorities and saying of African-American Sanders staffers and surrogates, "I don't care how many people from the island of misfit black girls that you throw out to defend you on a regular basis."[176] He was reinstated in July 2020.[177]
Ayman Mohyeldin has been alleged to have an anti-Israel bias in his reporting.[178] In 2015, Mohyeldin was reporting live fromGaza, where he claimed to have witnessed an unarmed Palestinian man being shot by Israeli police at theDamascus Gate; the man turned out to be wielding a large knife.[179]
Following the2023 Israel–Hamas war, it was reported bySemafor that a number of Muslim hosts (includingMehdi Hasan, Mohyeldin, andAli Velshi) were sidelined from coverage.[180]
Michael Savage briefly hosted a weekend talk show in 2003. That July, Savage responded to a prank caller on his show by calling him a "pig" and a "sodomite", and telling him he "should get AIDS and die." Savage's show was canceled and he was dismissed from MSNBC shortly thereafter.[181]
Don Imus' radio showImus in the Morning was simulcast on MSNBC for over ten years. In 2007, he described members of theRutgers University women's basketball team as "some nappy-headed hoes." The remark was met with outrage, and advertisers withdrew from the show, with MSNBC canceling the simulcast. Both Imus and NBC News apologized to the Rutgers Basketball team for the remarks.[182]
On November 5, 2010, MSNBC President Phil Griffin suspended Keith Olbermann indefinitely without pay for having contributed $2,400 (the maximum personal donation limit) to each of three Democratic Party candidates during the 2010 midterm election cycle.[183] NBC News policy prohibited contributions to political campaigns unless NBC News had given its prior permission. On November 7, 2010, Olbermann posted a thank you message to supporters via Twitter.[184] That same day, MSNBC announced that he would be back on the air starting on November 9.[185]
Two weeks later, Griffin announced the suspension ofJoe Scarborough for similar misconduct. TheMorning Joe host had donated $4,000 to Republican candidates in Florida. Like Olbermann's suspension, Scarborough's was brief, and he returned to the airwaves on November 24.[186]
HostMartin Bashir resigned after making a controversial comment aboutSarah Palin.[187] On November 15, 2013, Bashir criticized Palin for equating thefederal debt to slavery.[188] Bashir referred to the cruel and barbaric punishment of slaves as described byslave overseerThomas Thistlewood, specifically a punishment called "Derby's dose", which forced slaves to defecate or urinate into the mouth of another slave. Bashir then said, "When Mrs. Palin invokes slavery, she doesn't just prove her rank ignorance. She confirms if anyone truly qualified for a dose of discipline from Thomas Thistlewood, she would be the outstanding candidate."[189][190]
Alec Baldwin's 2013 showUp Late with Alec Baldwin was suspended after five episodes because of ahomophobic slur Baldwin made to a photographer in New York City.[191]
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