Comcast’s NBC Universal on Wednesday promoted Rebecca Kutler to serve as the president of its cable news channel MSNBC.
Kutler previously held the title of interim president of the network following the departure of former MSNBC President Rashida Jones, who stepped away from the company last year.
In a memo distributed to employees, Kutler described MSNBC as “one of the most-engaged brands in television,” claiming the news channel ended last year as “number one in cable news on both YouTube and TikTok.” It was not clear from her statement how she determined the network’s position on those platforms. The Fox News Channel has topped MSNBC and NBC News in recent months on YouTube, according to data from Emplifi.
Kutler affirmed that the network was ready to embrace “exciting times” ahead, but also warned that there would be challenges. Comcast is in the process of spinning of MSNBC and many of its other cable networks into a separate company, one that will be well-capitalized with around $7 billion in annual revenue, but which will also see MSNBC and financial news channel CNBC lose the resources of NBC News.
But MSNBC is also in the middle of a non-stop political news cycle fueled by various changes in the federal government effectuated by President Donald Trump in his first weeks in office. That momentum is likely to build over the next three and a half years — and, if the first Trump administration is anything to go by, it will be ratings gold for MSNBC and its rival cable news networks.
“In recent weeks, the news cycle has been nonstop, and MSNBC’s coverage has stood out for its depth, focus, and thoughtfulness,” Mark Lazarus, a Comcast executive who is now leading the company’s efforts to separate out the cable networks business, wrote in a memo to employees.
“Thanks to this team’s hard work, viewers, readers, and listeners are reengaging at significant levels across the board,” Lazarus added.
