What The End Of MSNBC Means.
Strategic partnerships are, largely, built upon the needs of groups, companies, or individuals at the time the partnership is made. As is frequent in the business world and tech sector, times change and the needs of companies in both fields are dramatically altered. As a result, strategic alliances between tech companies and prominent businesses are occasionally dissolved. One of the latest partnerships to call it quits is the alliance between Microsoft and NBC which resulted in the MSNBC news channel and website.
In 1996, NBC had Seinfeld and Frasier (Friends had not yet become the phenomenon it eventually would) and in the news world, it was lagging behind its competitors. At that time, Microsoft was dominating the market with Windows 95 and its presence on the rapidly-growing Internet was substantial. In 1996, NBC (owned by General Electric at that time) and Microsoft entered into a strategic partnership. They created MSNBC and Microsoft spread its interest to cable television news and NBC had an outlet for news distribution on the Internet. On Saturday, however, that partnership came to an end as NBC (now owned by Comcast) bought out Microsoft’s 50% interest in MSNBC.
For MSNBC users, there will be no immediate changes to MSNBC or any of its affiliated sites, like BreakingNews.com or Newsvine.com. However, in 2013, NBC’s digital presence will be redefined. While there has been no official word yet on what MSNBC.com will change into, it seems logical that NBC will change the website to drop the MS (Microsoft) element from it. The changes to the actual MSNBC URL have been hinted for some time in 2013, with users no doubt being given plenty of warning in advance of the change.
For NBC, the dissolution of the relationship with Microsoft means that the news network will have the opportunity to gain more direct name association with its digital presence. NBC news on the Internet will soon gain a more direct association with the NBC news programs that are on television. This will also allow NBC to promote its other programming and sponsors without any concern for Microsoft’s interests. That means that if any of Microsoft’s competitors want to create digital opportunities for NBC, the television company may pursue those opportunities.
As for Microsoft, the end of MSNBC means that Microsoft is free to enter into arrangements with other news networks for footage on Bing, which Microsoft hopes to make into a more robust news site. Previously limited to stories that NBC was pursuing, Microsoft and Bing will be able to carry exclusives from other networks when they make new arrangements.
By all accounts, NBC’s buyout of Microsoft’s interest in MSBNC is an amicable parting; how the companies actually adapt to the separation remains to be seen.
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