NBC News Unveils ‘Summer Season’ of Digital Programs Connected to ‘Today’
By Brian Steinberg
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Thanks to streaming digital video, NBC’s “Today” doesn’t have to end once Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Megyn Kelly and Kathie Lee Gifford have signed off for the morning.
plans to launch eight new streaming-video programs related to the NBC morning-news franchise, the latest signal of the Comcast-owned unit’s digital ambitions. NBC News has indicated it hopes to launch a streaming-video offering by the end of 2018 that will place the company alongside other traditional media outlets moving full-bore into broadband-delivered news and information.
“The goal is to expand the ‘Today” brand across all hours of the day and, more to the point, across all screens,” says Ashley Parrish, executive producer for Today’ Digital and vice president of strategic content for NBC News Group, in an interview.
New streaming-video programs under the “Today” imprimatur will be made available through Today.com, the “Today” YouTube channel and on Today-branded apps served on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku.
The shows include: “Cold Cuts with Al Roker,”a new program centered on cooking and celebrity interviews; “Donna Off-Air,” a returning segment featuring “Today”contributor Donna Farizan as she sits with celebrities after their “Today” appearance for an extended chat; “Get It Together,: a new show featuring contributor Anna De Souza sharing life hacks; “Test Drive,:” a returning program in which “Today” editors test lifestyle fads; “The Check Out,” a new series in which producer Courtney Gisriel tests trending products; “The Upside,” a new show focused on good news and heartwarming features; “Walk in My Shoes,” a returning series that puts a spotlight on overcoming a life challenge; and “Why I Love My,” a returning series in which celebrities share how they find confidence and embrace surprising parts of themselves.
The series are expected to run throughout the summer and early fall.
NBC News hopes to ramp up distribution of content associated with “Today” that “is not coming from those four hours”of linear TV associated with the show said Parrish.
