MS NOW vs The Independent

Carson Daly Named Saturday Today Co-Anchor

NBC News announced Carson Daly as co-anchor of Saturday Today, starting November 7, 2026. Daly, who joined Today in 2013, will continue his weekday role, expanding his duties to six days a week. He joins co-anchor Laura Jarrett, feature anchor Joe Fryer, and meteorologist Angie Lassman. Separately, CNBC signed a long-term agreement with Jim Cramer, including a premium subscription tier for his Investing Club in 2027. CNBC also announced executive changes affecting programming and editorial operations. MS NOW launched a brand campaign and expanded its direct-to-consumer service to connected TV platforms.

• Carson Daly named co-anchor of Saturday Today, starting November 7, 2026.
• Daly will continue his weekday Today duties, now working six days a week.
• MS NOW introduced a brand campaign titled 'Now There's More That Unites US'.

Cable News Ratings: MS NOW Leads Primetime Demo

In October 2026, cable news saw significant ratings shifts across weekdays. Fox News maintained leadership in total viewers, averaging 1.747 million for the week of Oct. 19, but continued a three-month decline in both total viewers and the A25-54 demo. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, Fox led in total day and primetime across all metrics. MSNBC surged, achieving double-digit demo growth, surpassing CNN for second place in the week, and ending CNN's 14-year streak in weekend A25-54 live programming. On Oct. 28, MSNBC also beat CNN in total day demo, though CNN's 'The Lead' won at 5 p.m. Among programs, 'The Five' led with 2.794 million total viewers, while MSNBC's 'The Last Word' won its slot in the demo.

• MSNBC surpassed CNN in the A25-54 demo during weekend live programming for the first time in 14 years, with 50,000 vs. 48,000 demo viewers.
• In the week of Oct. 19, Fox News averaged 1.747 million total viewers, while MSNBC gained 19% in the demo and surpassed CNN for second place.
• On Oct. 28, Fox News led in total viewers and the A25-54 demo across total day and primetime, and MSNBC beat CNN in the total day demo.

CNN Launches Press Freedom Promo Amid White House Ban Threat

Amid threats from President Donald Trump to ban certain news outlets from the White House, CNN debuted a 60-second promo on Wednesday with the tagline 'Freedom of the press is not optional.' The spot features quotes from former presidents and highlights CNN's commitment to journalism. This comes after a preliminary injunction by Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that the White House press ban likely violated the First Amendment, allowing CNN, MS NOW, and Politico to continue reporting from the White House. CNN CEO Mark Thompson has pledged to fight the case 'to the end,' and the network's marketing team produced the promo internally. The promo was shared on social media and during CNN News Central, where Thompson gave an interview.

• CNN aired a 60-second promo with the tagline 'Freedom of the press is not optional'.
• The promo features quotes from former presidents Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
• A preliminary injunction by Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that the White House press ban likely violated the First Amendment.

MAGA influencers start crashing out online over Dem midterm sweep

The Independent's news page has been updated with the latest US midterm election results, including Democrats winning control of the Senate and House, and Trump's reaction to the losses.

Intent IQ Boosts The Independent's Revenue Nearly 30%

Intent IQ, a leader in identity resolution, announced results from its partnership with The Independent, a leading international digital news publisher. Using Intent IQ's Bid Enhancement solution, The Independent increased revenue by nearly 30%, CPMs by [unspecified] across ID-less inventory. This collaboration demonstrates the effectiveness of cookieless identity solutions in improving publisher monetization. The partnership highlights the growing importance of alternative identity solutions in a privacy-first advertising landscape. The results were announced on October 29, 2026.

• Intent IQ's Bid Enhancement solution helped The Independent increase revenue by nearly 30%.
• The partnership focuses on ID-less inventory, demonstrating the effectiveness of cookieless identity solutions.
• The announcement was made on October 29, 2026.

The Independent's social commerce revenue surpasses SEO

The Independent's social-commerce revenue surpassed its SEO-based revenue for the first time in September, indicating a shift toward social platforms and away from search traffic, which has declined partly due to AI. CEO Christian Broughton declared the old search-and-social model 'dead' and outlined four growth areas: AI, creator-led studio work, e-commerce, and membership, expected to contribute nearly half of 2026 revenue. The company reported £55.1 million in 2025 revenue, up 4%, with profit before tax rising 9% to £3.5 million. Broughton also highlighted AI productivity gains, including the 'Bulletin' news app with 12 million monthly users, the 'Eva' AI feature that reduced bounce rate, and a live news team six times more productive. Meanwhile, Meta's upcoming terms update on October 30 extends AI training scraping rights to all linked websites, criticized as a data grab that may override robots.txt and bypass licensing. In parallel, e-commerce platforms are navigating AI agent integration, with Amazon blocking third-party agents while Walmart and Target partner with OpenAI, and Zillow licensing data to Google for Gemini.

• The Independent's social-commerce revenue surpassed SEO-based revenue for the first time in September.
• CEO Christian Broughton declared the old search-and-social business model 'dead'.
• Meta will extend scraping rights to all websites linked on its platforms starting October 30.