NBC News and Newsweek-The Daily Beast are partnering on 2012 election coverage. Under the content-sharing agreement, NWDB will get access to NBC’s political reporters and content, and will be able to use MSNBC.com’s video player for content. NWDB may also get some sort of role in future debates, though what that might entail is still unclear.
NBC doesn’t get quite as much in return. The network gets to reach more users and readers with its political content, and gets to open up the door to future collaboration with the Newsweek and Daily Beast brands. In some respects it is throwback for NBC News, which had a close relationship with Newsweek back when it was owned by the Washington Post. Many Newsweek regulars such as Jon Meacham and Howard Fineman regularly appeared on NBC programming.
The deal is the second high-profile partnership between a network news division and a more traditional print outlet. CBS News and National Journal announced a partnership to cover the 2012 election last summer.
NBC News and Newsweek / Daily Beast Team Up on 2012 Election Campaign Coverage
NEW YORK, NY– January 9, 2012 – NBC News and Newsweek & The Daily Beast today announced a joint digital initiative that will focus on 2012 election campaign coverage. Under the agreement, the magazine and Web site will have access to NBC News’ deep bench of political reporters and high-quality video content, as well as opportunities to collaborate with NBC News at upcoming national debates during the election.
Coverage from the field will include online dispatch interviews with NBC News journalists, video from NBC News, MSNBC and NBCPolitics.com, and social media updates from the NBC News team along the campaign trail. The bulk of this content will come from NBC News’ 2012 Political Embeds–who have covered the election and Republican presidential candidates on the road since July 2011. There will also be weekly exclusive content commissioned by Newsweek & The Daily Beast. Video content will utilize the msnbc.com player.
“NBC News’ digital team is thrilled to work with Newsweek & The Daily Beast around the 2012 election,” said Vivian Schiller, Chief Digital Officer at NBC News. “By leveraging the strengths of each news organization, we’ll be able to deliver the best political coverage to more users than ever before.”
“Combining the vast resources of NBC News with the reach of Newsweek & The Daily Beast, with writers such as Peter Boyer, Andrew Sullivan, Eleanor Clift, Howie Kurtz, David Frum, Michelle Goldberg, Michael Tomasky and Paul Begala, this alliance will offer our readers access to NBC’s premier campaign video and reporting throughout the election,” said Mark Miller, Director of Editorial Operations for Newsweek & The Daily Beast.
Users can expect shared content to appear in Newsweek and on The Daily Beast beginning in January 2012.