NBCUniversal Prepares to Launch ‘Mobile-First' News Service
Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal's news operations, announced the news at an event organized by Semafor on Thursday. The upcoming service may reportedly serve up short-form video from NBC News anchors and correspondents. This announcement comes as short-form video platforms, like TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, become more and more popular among Gen z.
Condé noted the new service will complement the company's other streaming offerings, such as NBC News Now and Today All Day. A free streaming service, NBC News Now launched in 2019. That was followed the next year by the free 24-hour streaming service Today All Day.
NBC isn't the only major news outlet that's trying its hand at streaming once more. Earlier this year, Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson sent a memo to staff saying that CNN would be launching a subscription-based streaming product that would be distinct from Max. Both CNN and Max share a parent company in Warner Bros. Discovery.
If NBCUniversal's offering will offer short-form videos, it's not surprising that the company would be interested in that space. Roughly 64% of Gen Z users admitted to using TikTok as a search engine, according to an Adobe study released in 2024. Google was still the reigning champion of the study when it came to platforms users found most helpful when searching for information with 91% of users saying they used the search engine for that purpose. But TikTok came in fourth place at 17%, following behind YouTube (39%) and Bing (21%).
The post NBCUniversal Prepares to Launch 'Mobile-First' News Service appeared first on TheWrap.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eater
3 minutes ago
- Eater
TikTok-Famous Ice Cream Treats and Asian Snacks Await at This Fairfield Food Paradise
Just off Highway 80, sandwiched between a karate studio and a dentistry office, sits family-run shop Asian Mart in Fairfield. And while its surroundings are modest, Asian Mart's following is not. It is perhaps the Bay Area epicenter of social media-friendly snacks and Asian fare with a casual following of over 26,000 people on Instagram waiting for each new snack drop and restock. It wasn't always this way. When Asian Mart first opened in August 2023, it was more imagined as a market for common Asian goods: different brands of soy sauce, rice, and spices. It was a niche that the store fills for the city of Fairfield. The viral-ness of their products and offerings would happen later, a byproduct of the store's customer service; from the start, manager Eric Fragola says he solicited customer feedback and asked folks what they wanted in the store. The responses rolled in, specialty items like a special chile oil or brand of gluten-free tamari. As they fulfilled those requests, other, more specific asks would come in, such as a popular candy that customers couldn't find elsewhere. 'Once we started doing that for people, it caught on; people started requesting more and more items,' Fragola says. 'And now we actually look at trying to be ahead of that... They can just come in, 'Yep, I knew you guys would have it,' or 'I knew you would be on top of it.'' Still, much of that growth is concentrated in metropolitan areas, keeping both everyday products and the fun snacks a long drive (or a tariffed internet order) away. Mom and pop shops still rule the farther-flung parts of the Bay Area, much like places such as the now-closed RSM Oriental Foodmart & Restaurant in Hercules. Similarly, Asian Mart is a hub for the immediate Fairfield area, but also those willing to make the drive from the Central Valley. Dianne de Guzman Dianne de Guzman When asked to describe the shop, Fragola calls the business a 'hybrid store.' What he means by that is it's a convenient store for cooking essentials from Asia, but there's another, equally compelling, aspect to Asian Mart. 'You can also find the unique, innovative things that tend to come from Asia, these different types of candies or packages, the flavors and experimental things that you see coming out of these different countries,' he says. 'So you're met with this reliable shopping experience that you can go in there and get what you need, but there's always going to be something new... It's going to be tasty, it's just going to pique your interest.' But most mom and pops don't have the highly curated selection of viral TikTok foods like Asian Mart does, nor influencers like Grub Wit Mike and their followers trekking to their store to find the latest fads in one place: Asian Mart started with a relatively traditional social media presence — just a Facebook page. Fragola says it was a customer who asked that they start an Instagram account to show off their latest snack acquisitions. 'People literally come to the store with their Instagram open and browse our page just to see what's new in the store, and then they can look for it,' Fragola says. 'So that's become essential for us, in terms of helping people shop, or helping them know what we have.' And while most of their customers are from Fairfield and the Bay Area, Fragola says it's not uncommon for them to get customers from places like Stockton, Modesto, and even Reno, on weekends. The first request for a hard-to-find item was for the Amos brand Peelerz candy, specifically, the mango flavor. It's a candy with a peelable exterior layer and a gummy interior — both the 'peel' and the interior 'fruit' are edible — and an intense mango flavor. As customers learned that the popular candy was stocked at Asian Mart, Fragola says people bought out the inventory, and the store would get hit with more customer requests. The store cemented its status as a must-visit with snack connoisseurs when Asian Mart was among the first local shops to get the Propitious Mango ice cream, a mango-shaped ice cream pop, with a white chocolate shell colored yellow-orange and packaged just right for the TikTok crowds. Dianne de Guzman Dianne de Guzman It took Fragola six months to find the item, and after one shipment, the inventory was quickly wiped out. It took six more months to get another shipment. These days, the deliveries are steady. Fragola even traveled to the Hong Qi factory to try some new flavors for the shop, expanding their store offerings. There's The Aiko Grape, a grape-flavored ice cream shaped like a grape bunch; a peach-shaped ice cream bar with a pink-white exterior; and a strawberry ice cream flavor that looks like a fresh-picked fruit. Also fun is the selection of Samancos, the ice cream sandwiches that look like wafer-ized fish, and the Not Fried Chicken ice cream, a trompe l'oeil of a dessert that looks like a fried chicken drumsticks but is made of ice cream. One recent afternoon, a customer on a video call with a friend showed off the different types of Hello Kitty marshmallows on a shelf, making the caller pick a snack among the many choices via phone. Walking around Asian Mart, you'll see plenty of those everyday items Fragola mentions: different kinds of rice, jars and bottles of condiments like bulgogi marinade and Jufran banana sauce, and a selection of ramen and soups so big it takes up almost the entire side of one aisle. There are flavors Buldak and Shin Ramen, of course, but also Nongshim ChapaGuri, Korean jjajang noodles with soup, Nora Kitchen brand instant gintaang monggo, a dessert of mung beans in coconut milk and sticky rice, and Koreno Noodle in packs of four. 'There are just so many flavors out there that are fascinating,' Fragola says. 'And the fact that they can be replicated into something that you can kind of just munch on is just really, really cool.' Asian Mart (1311 Oliver Road, Unit B, Fairfield) is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Dianne de Guzman Eater SF All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Starbucks is shutting down an entire line of cafes
Starbucks is shutting down its pick-up only store model just six years after introducing the concept, because they no longer mesh with the struggling coffee chain's overall strategy. 'We found this format to be overly transactional and lacking the warmth and human connection that defines our brand,' Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said on its earnings call late Tuesday. Launched in New York in 2019, the pick-up only stores encouraged customers to order via their mobile app and wasn't meant to be a place to linger, like a traditional location that has seating. Although some have a small indoor area, others have only pick-up windows. Dubbed 'Starbucks Pick Up,' the spin-off eventually grew into roughly 90 locations across the United States, usually built in downtowns, airports and hospitals. Some of those locations might be converted to a traditional Starbucks in the future, but the company didn't respond to comment about which locations will be changed. Niccol said that the company's 'strong digital offering' with its app 'can deliver the same level of convenience through our community coffeehouses.' Since becoming CEO last September, one of Niccol's top directives is restoring the coffeehouse vibes the chain was original known for. That 'third place' objective has diminished in recent years as Starbucks prioritized speed and convenience. In June, the chain took CNN on a tour of a new cafe with cozier chairs, power outlets and larger tables that's intended to be the model for the Starbucks of the future. Niccol unveiled on Tuesday that Starbucks is also building a 'small format version' of its stores with just 10 seats in New York City. 'We believe this new prototype will deliver an exceptional customer experience, improve unit economics and unlock growth opportunities in more markets,' he said. Still, Niccol has a lot of work to do: The chain reported its sixth consecutive quarter of sales declines at stores open at least a year, with North American sales in that category falling 2%. 'While our financial results don't yet reflect all the progress we've made, the signs are clear — we're gaining momentum,' Niccol said. He noted that purchases from non-Rewards members returned to growth and the average receipt transaction grew 1%. Starbucks (SBUX) shares rose nearly 5% in premarket trading. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump plans to impose a Russia ‘penalty' on India in addition to a 25% tariff as trade talks stall
President Donald Trump is ratcheting up the pressure on India, calling into question the prospects of a deal with a key US trading partner just days before his tariff deadline. Trump, in a pair of social media posts Wednesday, sharply attacked India's trade barriers and directly targeted India's sustained reliance on Russian oil purchases and military equipment. He doubled down on his threat to impose 25% tariffs on all Indian imports and threatened an additional 'penalty' in response to India's energy purchases. 'Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD!' Trump's tariff escalation comes on the heels of a series of deals with major US trading partners that have set a rough baseline of between 15% and 20% and included a series of pledges to expand market access for US products and foreign investment commitments. For India, it marks a major setback in a monthslong effort to secure a deal that officials believed on several occasions was nearing the finish line. Top trade officials have been transiting back and forth between the Washington and New Delhi for months in pursuit of a final agreement. But the recent trade agreements with Japan and the European Union have emboldened Trump in the final days before the August 1 deadline for the administration's paused 'reciprocal' tariffs to snap back into place, officials say. Trump's ability to secure commitments on market access for US producers has become a particularly salient fixation as Trump has reviewed draft offers in recent days, the officials said. That has created a significant obstacle to the prospects of an agreement with India, one official told CNN. 'They're willing to go part of the way,' the official said. 'But the president isn't in a 'part of the way' mood - he wants barriers removed completely or as close to completely as possible.' Trump's approach is tied in part to a strategy that has become increasingly apparent to foreign trade officials involved in late-stage talks: Trump has no qualms about letting those higher tariffs go into place - a message he's delivered repeatedly in public over the last several weeks. But it's also created an environment in which Trump has embraced a clear sense of leverage over trading partners - even close allies - who are desperate to maintain access to the world's largest consumer market. 'I think President Trump is frustrated with the progress we've made with India but feels that a 25% tariff will address and remedy the situation in a way that's good for the American people,' Director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett said at the White House on Wednesday. The tariffs on India, Hassett said, might cause them to 'reconsider their practices.' 'Over time, I would guess that Indian firms will be onshoring production in the US, and Indians might even open their markets more to us so that we reconsider our future trades,' Hassett added. Russia penalties At the same time, Trump has escalated in parallel his threat to impose secondary sanctions on Russian energy exports in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's refusal to de-escalate attacks on Ukraine. That dynamic, which has long been weighed across successive administrations, would directly impact India and China most as nations who purchase the bulk of Russian energy products. India's oil imports from Russia have ticked up this year as Russia continued to be the top supplier to the world's most populous nation. Russia for roughly 35% of India's overall supplies, followed by Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. CNN has reached out to the White House for more information on what the penalty will be and if India will be receiving an official letter from the United States marking the tariff, as other nations have received. On Tuesday, Trump told reporters that India would pay 25% tariffs if they don't reach a deal by August 1. When imposing a 50-day deadline on Russia to reach a ceasefire earlier this month, Trump announced that countries that purchase Russian oil would face secondary sanctions. That ceasefire deadline has since moved to August 8. Trump officials have been privately making clear to counterparts that Trump's threat to significantly escalate an already sweeping US sanctions regime on Russia should be taken seriously and is not a negotiating ploy, the officials said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday he shared that message directly with his Chinese counterparts during trade talks in Stockholm. 'I think anyone who buys sanctioned Russian oil should be ready for this,' Bessent told reporters at a news conference at the conclusion of the talks. According to an analysis of Russian fossil fuel exports and sanctions conducted by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air in June, India continued to be the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels behind China. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
