NBC has diversified its broader business to rely less heavily on advertising in recent years, investing in its audio, commerce, and live events businesses to do so, according to Conde. It has developed the skill set to operate subscription businesses through its experiments with CNBC and Today, which has allowed it to feel confident in standing up other paid products.

The new platform is also a reflection of how prominent video has become in the media ecosystem, driven by the popularity of short-form video apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels. 

With its broadcasting background and roster of video franchises, NBC News has a wealth of video content and production infrastructure to create large volumes of premium video.

This gives the broadcaster a unique advantage compared to other news organizations, which have faced a higher barrier to entry in their efforts to create video content to attract and retain audiences.

“We happen to be one of the largest, if not the largest, producer of premium journalistic video,” Conde said. “It’s one of our competitive strengths, so we’re going to lean into that.”