MS NOW is expanding its direct-to-consumer business with a new paid membership available through the Apple App Store and Google Play, adding another media subscription to the mobile app economy as publishers look for recurring revenue beyond advertising and traditional pay TV.
Launching today, the MS NOW membership costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. Users can subscribe through the network’s mobile app, with the service offering 24/7 access to MS NOW’s live programming alongside interactive and members-only features.
The launch puts mobile distribution at the center of MS NOW’s new subscription strategy. In addition to its own website, the company is using Apple and Google’s app marketplaces to reach consumers directly on mobile devices, while additional platforms and devices are expected to be supported later.
For the broader mobile market, the move is another example of a media company turning its app into a direct subscription channel. Rather than relying exclusively on cable distribution or ad-supported digital audiences, MS NOW is introducing a recurring paid relationship with users through a product that combines streaming, editorial programming and community features.
A central part of the membership is twice-daily live Q&A programming. Subscribers will be able to participate in sessions with MS NOW anchors and reporters seven days a week, creating an interactive component beyond simply streaming the network’s linear feed.
The Q&As will take place at noon and 6 p.m. ET, with members able to submit questions during the sessions. Rachel Maddow is among the network personalities participating, including a Monday session scheduled ahead of her weekly television program.
Other participating MS NOW personalities include Joe Scarborough, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele and Rev. Al Sharpton. The offering also includes a “Morning Joe Family Meeting,” extending the membership model around some of the network’s existing programming and personalities.
The combination of subscription access and interactive content gives MS NOW additional opportunities to drive engagement inside its digital product. For subscription apps, maintaining recurring usage can be particularly important because the business model depends not only on converting users into paying customers but also on retaining them over subsequent billing periods.
MS NOW developed the membership following audience research involving 18,000 people, according to the company. The research included surveys and in-person interviews and helped shape the features included in the paid service.
The network is targeting a digital audience that extends well beyond its traditional television viewers. MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler said approximately 90% of people consuming the network through YouTube, digital, social and audio channels do not regularly watch MS NOW on linear television.
That creates a potential conversion pool for the new mobile subscription. Users who encounter MS NOW content through social platforms, video services or podcasts can now be directed toward a paid product available through the major mobile app stores rather than requiring a conventional cable subscription.
The launch also comes as publishers and media companies continue experimenting with direct-to-consumer models to diversify revenue. For MS NOW, the $7.99 monthly and $79.99 annual tiers introduce recurring subscription revenue alongside its existing advertising and distribution businesses.
MS NOW is also working with marketing partners to promote the membership. Those efforts include bundle partnerships with companies such as meditation app Calm, giving the network another potential acquisition channel outside its own media properties.
The membership arrives during a broader organizational transition for MS NOW following its separation from NBCUniversal. The network is now part of Versant, which was created through the spin-off of NBCUniversal cable and digital properties including MS NOW and CNBC.
The launch illustrates how established media brands are increasingly treating apps not simply as extensions of their websites or television channels, but as subscription products with their own acquisition, engagement and retention funnels.
MS NOW’s strategy combines app-store distribution, recurring billing, live streaming and exclusive interactive content in a single consumer product. Its performance will provide another test of whether a large digital audience built across social, video and audio channels can be converted into paying subscribers through mobile.
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