NBCUniversal Prepares to Launch ‘Mobile-First' News Service
NBCUniversal is expecting to launch a mobile-first news outlet in the fourth quarter of this year, according to multiple media reports.
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.
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In August 2024, she shared her first post, an interview with a social media producer laid off from Condé Nast, asking her questions such as, "Where were you when you found out?" and "What was your greatest financial concern with the sudden loss of income?" and "Has being laid off changed how you view your relationship to work?" She has since been inundated with people willing to share their stories. Within two months, Laid Off grew to 5,000 subscribers. Recently, it surpassed 10,000. The number of Americans facing long-term unemployment has crept up from 1.05 million in February 2023 to over 1.67 million as of last month. Since 2022, more than half a million tech workers have been laid off — one analysis found there had been about 90,000 tech layoffs in the first five months of 2025. Amid the job losses, a new culture around layoffs has sprung up. Workers are livestreaming their layoffs to audiences of millions on TikTok. The post-layoff note on LinkedIn has become so ubiquitous that it's now a social media cliché. Many of the newly laid-off have no qualms declaring themselves #OpenToWork. There's even layoff merch now. To welcome the legions of freshly unemployed, a network of layoff support groups has emerged. On Reddit, r/Layoffs is in the top 2% of subreddits by size, with more than 120,000 members. On LinkedIn, there are more than 100 groups for those affected by layoffs, including company-specific groups for Meta, X, and Amazon. Across social platforms, layoff influencers are attracting thousands of followers by sharing advice and commiserating with those in the same boat. While workers can't change the fact of being laid off, they are no longer taking it lying down. In the 1990s, layoffs had become more or less standard business practice, but there was still a major taboo around them. 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The post-layoff note, with its cheery tone and calls to "reach out if you're hiring," quickly became standard practice. As more layoffs have hit in the past year, the stigma has vanished even more. "It used to be if you got laid off, it's because you're a screwup — you're just a bad employee," Mustafa says. "Now it's just par for the course." For some, being laid off became not just a LinkedIn update but lucrative content. Giovanna Ventola, a commercial real estate worker, first went viral for sharing advice to other job seekers after being laid off three times in three years, Bloomberg reported. She has gained nearly 30,000 followers sharing her perspective on coping with unemployment and has launched a professional networking platform, Rhize. Others have documented their days-in-the-life navigating being newly unemployed. In her newsletter, Ehrenkranz has spotlighted stories from everyone from a design intern for the National Park Service to a creative director at Google. 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Tom's Guide
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Later: "Remind me what I said my name was earlier?'Gemini Live quickly asked for more information to ensure it gave me the best information. It asked the ages of my kids and what types of activities we prefer as a family. It made some very general recommendations that I could have gotten anywhere, but still information. The chatbot remembered my name when I asked it to recall immediately made some general family-friendly recommendations (similar to what Gemini gave after asking me more about myself) and then asked me about my family's preferences. From there, it offered more unique and engaging activities that were both on and off the typical tourist path. The chatbot remembered my name when asked to recall ChatGPT wins for out-of-the-box recommendations that I hadn't thought of (and I'm from Boston). It was very helpful with both unique and interesting ideas for my active family of five. Prompt: 'Explain the potential societal impacts of widespread AI companions.'Gemini Live acknowledged positive aspects but remained very general and lacked specific societal consequences. Although the chatbot did mention both sides, without elaborating, the response was somewhat empty and less went beyond vague statements and provided concrete examples of both positive and negative impacts. The chatbot's conclusion emphasized the need for balance. Although ChatGPT responded clearly and thoroughly, the chatbot is very sensitive. At one point during the conversation I put the phone down and it stumbled, asking, 'What else can I help with?' When I asked the bot to keep going, it was confused so I had to re-ask the question, which felt less ChatGPT wins for a more thorough and balanced response to the question. While it stumbled with some technicalities, the answer to the prompt was superior. Gemini ended the conversation with "worth thinking about," which seemed less insightful. Prompt: "Sell me a maple pecan latte like a Gen Z barista, adding in humor naturally."Gemini Live leaned into the Gen Z character with fun lines that felt both natural and effortless. It wasn't as verbose as ChatGPT, which made it feel more human and delivered a lengthy sales speech that made me cringe. It didn't get the Gen Z tone as well as Gemini and the whole response felt a little too polished and buttoned Gemini Live wins this one. This was where Gemini shined. Its energetic voice delivery and personality were spot-on as it leaned into the character with ease. Prompt: 'Take a look at these old bananas and give me suggestions for what to do with them.'Gemini Live took one look at the bananas and immediately suggested banana bread. A good option, but an obvious one. When pressed for something different, it suggested smoothies. I told it I didn't have a lot of extra ingredients and it hallucinated saying, 'that's okay, how about a smoothie?' Once again, I told it I didn't have any other ingredients. Finally it suggested making banana ice also suggested banana bread but in the form of 'banking' with other ideas mixed in. It went further to suggest smoothies. When I mentioned I didn't have any other ingredients, it suggested blending with ice and water for a 'refreshing drink.' Additionally, it suggested more pantry-friendly ingredients like honey, cinnamon and vanilla that I was more likely to have on hand (as apposed to Gemini suggesting various fruits, seaweed or kale).Winner: ChatGPT wins this round with a clear edge for true multimodal communication with creativity and visual intelligence. Prompt: "Help me brainstorm a bedtime jingle for my kids and sing it if you can." Gemini Live went line by line of the song for a more collaborative experience. It was asking me about instruments and themes as well as styles. While it was nice to be included, any parent trying to get their kid to sleep at bedtime just wants something fast. I would appreciate this collaborative effort if I needed the song in a different created a sweet lullaby in minutes – and even sang it! The song was creative and well written even though the bot's voice was a little too robotic. I then asked it for different lyrics and for it to sing it in other styles and it got straight to work even rapping it like Kendrick Lamar (that is, if Lamar were a bot).Winner: tie. Both tools came up with catchy rhymes and fun ideas. ChatGPT took the lead in structure while Gemini felt a little looser, more like spit balling with a friend — which was charming, but less directed. After putting both AI assistants through their paces, it's clear that ChatGPT currently offers the more advanced and well-rounded experience. From deeper reasoning and sharper memory to stronger visual analysis and quicker creative execution, ChatGPT consistently delivered results that felt more helpful and said, Gemini had standout moments, especially in personality-driven prompts where it came across as more spontaneous and fun. If you're looking for an assistant to make you smile and keep the vibe light, Gemini shines. But if you want the most capable hands-free AI companion that can think deeply, see clearly and even sing (or rap!) on command — ChatGPT is still the one to beat.
