News Broadcasting
NBCUniversal News Group announces strategic collaboration and investment in NowThis News
NBCUniversal News Group announces strategic collaboration and investment in NowThis News
NEW YORK: The NBCUniversal News Group, one of the most influential and respected news portfolios in the world, and NowThis News, the first exclusively short-form video news network built specifically for mobile and social, have agreed that the News Group will take a minority stake in NowThis News and the two companies will co-produce original short-form news videos to be distributed across mobile and social platforms. Content will be produced by co-located NowThis News and NBCUniversal News Group teams based out of NowThis News’s New York City studio.
NowThis News is a news organization that specializes in creating unique, short-form video for audiences across social platforms that include, but aren’t limited to, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vine, YouTube and Snapchat. Videos are combined into NowThis News’s Android and Apple apps and a mobile website, allowing viewers to seamlessly watch updates delivered to their pockets, wherever they are.
As more people consume news and information on mobile and social media, this collaboration will capitalize on the News Group’s world-class news operations and NowThis News’s approach to original, short-form storytelling to reach the next generation of users.
“We know that news consumption among younger audiences continues to grow, but in order to reach that audience, we need to continue to create video for the platforms they use most. NowThis News does exactly that — delivering relevant news stories for the mobile and social platforms that resonate with this audience,” said Patricia Fili-Krushel, Chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group. “We’re excited to incorporate this relationship into our overall strategy – to innovate inside and outside the company – positioning the News Group for future success.”
Kenneth Lerer, NowThis News’s Co-Founder and Manager Director of Lerer Ventures, said, “By working together, the NBCUniversal News Group and NowThis News can learn from each other and build a great digital news experience that’s a win-win for the new news consumer who wants all video, all the time, built for social and mobile. This partnership allows us to showcase our shared vision of combining the world’s strongest news brands with NowThis News to super serve consumers.”
NBCUniversal News Group and NowThis News will collaborate to create original, short-form videos that fit where the audience lives. The teams will co-produce content for TODAY, MSNBC, NBC News and CNBC such as:
Mashups: Covering daily political, pop culture, or business news
Explainers: Breaking down business, political or financial news
“Our partnership with NowThis News is another example of our commitment to emerging platforms so that our advertising partners can increase their audience reach,” said Linda Yaccarino, President, Advertising Sales, NBCUniversal. “With this collaboration we have the ability to innovate and harness the power of compelling video and create campaigns that resonate more strongly with consumers.”
The partnership represents the latest in a series of moves that the NBCUniversal News Group, whose digital assets include NBCNews.com, msnbc.com, TODAY.com, and CNBC.com has made in the digital space. Together these assets reach more than 70M unique users. Recently, the News Group also announced an investment and content partnership with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg’s new venture, Revere Digital, launched a new msnbc.com, created new original video units for NBC News and CNBC and acquired live stream video platform, Stringwire.
NBCUniversal News Group
The NBCUniversal News Group is one of the most influential and respected portfolios of on-air and digital news properties in the world, reaching over 147 million people each month.
The Group includes NBC News, a broadcast leader of global news and information for over 75 years and home to such respected programs as “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams,” “Today,” “Meet the Press,” and “Dateline;” MSNBC, the premiere destination for in-depth analysis of daily headlines, insightful political commentary and informed perspectives reaching more than 96 million households worldwide; CNBC, the recognized world leader in business news reaching approximately 395 million homes worldwide as well as The Weather Channel and digital platforms including the NBC News Digital Group, msnbc.com, CNBC.com. The NBCUniversal News Group also extends on its nationwide network of owned and affiliate stations, NBC News and CNBC Radio; as well as MSNBC on Sirius XM radio.
NowThis News
NowThis News is a Lerer Ventures startup and portfolio company that has produced over 10,000 original 6, 15, and 30 second news videos for rapidly growing social and mobile audiences. The company was founded by Huffington Post co-founder and former Chairman Kenneth Lerer, and former Huffington Post CEO Eric Hippeau. From studios in New York, Washington DC, NowThis News produces over 50 daily video updates for Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Vine, YouTube, All of the NowThis News platforms can be found here: http://www.nowthisnews.com/whatsup
Lerer Ventures
Lerer Ventures is a New York-based, seed stage venture capital fund led by Managing Directors Kenneth Lerer, Eric Hippeau, Ben Lerer and Jordan Cooper. LV invests in founders in the earliest stages of a startup’s life, seeking out entrepreneurs with product vision, consumer insight, focused execution and unwavering ambition. Its portfolio includes Buzzfeed, Warby Parker, Thrillist, Percolate, Fullscreen, Food52, Songza, RebelMouse and Refinery29.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
