Key Points
- MS NOW and CNBC will use AccuWeather’s forecasting, graphics and reporters to supplement their weather coverage.
- The partnership comes as MS NOW and CNBC are in the process of being spun out of Comcast.
- MS NOW has hired two new journalists to bolster its weather and political reporting.
AccuWeather has inked an agreement with Versant, the cable networks business being spun out of Comcast, to provide forecasting and weather-related reporting to its news channels MS Now (currently MSNBC) and CNBC.
The deal announced on Monday gives MS NOW and CNBC access to AccuWeather’s meteorologists, data and weather content across its broadcast and digital platforms. The agreement also allows Versant to integrate AccuWeather forecasts into live coverage during severe weather and breaking news events.
The partnership arrives as Versant moves to establish MS NOW as an independent news division, formally separating from NBC News. As part of the rebrand, MS NOW is expanding its original reporting and global coverage while repositioning itself as a modern, multiplatform news service.
“At such a groundbreaking moment for soon-to-be MS NOW, we are proud to continue to expand our reporting capabilities and offerings alongside AccuWeather,” said Scott Matthews, the Senior Vice President of Newsgathering for MS NOW. “Our mission — embodied through our new name, MS NOW: My Source for News, Opinion, and the World — is to bring our viewers the most-trusted news that they care about. We know, at a moment of unprecedented weather events, that AccuWeather will bring top-quality data and reporting to our audiences.”
As part of the partnership, AccuWeather will supply Versant networks with live and recorded meteorologist appearances, customized graphics and briefings, and access to its Enterprise API, editorial feed and video content library — tools intended to enhance weather integration across Versant’s news and entertainment programming.
AccuWeather Chief Executive Steven R. Smith said the collaboration aligns with the company’s commitment to providing accurate and actionable weather information.
“AccuWeather’s forecasts and warnings with proven Superior Accuracy from its expert meteorologists will now reach millions more people with this multi-year deal on many new platforms,” Smith said.
To bolster its weather and data coverage, MS NOW has hired Emmy-winning journalist David Parkinson as Senior Weather and Elections Data Analyst and Moses Small as Climate Reporter. Parkinson joins from CBS News, while Small previously reported for KGTV (Channel 10, ABC) in San Diego. Both will work closely with AccuWeather meteorologists to deliver forecasts and analysis across Versant platforms.
