NBC’s “Today” has long been part of many an American morning ritual.
Libby Leist, the executive who oversees the ‘Today” empire, envisions commuters logging on to hear the top stories that Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb deliver at the top of the show’s first hour, many of which feature NBC News reporters on the ground in the locations where events are taking place.
“There are a lot of podcast-only audiences these days, people who are interested in audio.
NBC has made a simultaneous audio broadcast of “Today” available via a channel devoted to the program on satellite-radio broadcaster SiriusXM, and allowed daily clips to surface later in the day via a bespoke streaming outlet devoted to the program.
Fans who want to catch up, she says, still want to hear Kotb trade quips with a guest chef like Giada De Laurentiis.
Comcast-owned NBCUniversal is betting it can find new audiences for “Today” as the traditional crowd for TV programming is increasingly drawn to streaming video made available at times of any audience member’s choosing.
“Today” reached 856,000 people between the ages of 25 and 54, the audience most desired by advertisers in news programs for the five days ended June 18, according to Nielsen data.
“I think we are living in a world where people want options on how to consume their content, and this gives commuters and people running around their kitchens who may have missed the 7 a.m.
The schedule also gives the linear program a buffer of exclusivity, though, simply put, the first part of the podcast will surface online as the linear program wraps its last thirty minutes.
Meanwhile, NBC earlier this month launched a new “highlights” show for streaming audiences that has Kotb and Guthrie walking on-demand viewers through the best of the morning’s four hours of content.