NBC Works to Speed Digital-News Launches, Hoping to Outpace Rivals
variety.comBrian Steinberg Senior TV Editor When NBC News announced in January that Hallie Jackson, its senior Washington correspondent, would leave the anchoring duties she had held at MSNBC since 2016, some eyebrows rose.
But NBC News was chasing something else on the rise: Digital audiences. Since Jackson began anchoring a late-afternoon hour on NBC News Now in December 2021, a growing audience has sought her out.
Viewership surged 108% over the course of a year. “You don’t see those numbers in many businesses,” says Janelle Rodriguez, the NBC News executive vice president who oversees the streaming outlet, in an interview. “When you see that level of audience increase, you know you are on to something,” On Monday, Jackson will double her time on her program, “Hallie Jackson Now,” to two hours, which means she will hold forth from 5 p.m.
to 7 p.m. NBC News Now is also on Monday expanding its evening lineup. Gadi Schwartz will anchor a live hour starting at 8 p.m.
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