MS NOW To Move To Taped Podcast And Other Content On Weekend Nights, Alex Witt To Depart

MS NOW will move to taped podcast and other content in the post-6 p.m. ET hours on weekend nights, as the network points to success with a content agreement with Crooked Media.

The network said that The Weekend: Primetime will end on Saturday, with co-anchor Antonia Hylton moving to the 1 p.m. ET to 4 p.m. ET weekend hours in the coming months. Co-anchors Ayman Mohyeldin, Elise Jordan and Catherine Rampell will remain at the network and contribute reporting across its programming.

Alex Witt also has announced that she is departing MS NOW later this summer, having first joined predecessor MSNBC in 1999. She most recently had anchored on weekend afternoons.

The planned changes, set to start on Sunday, were unveiled in a memo on Friday from MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler.

“As we prepare for a significant investment in our direct-to-consumer offering and continue developing new programming, content partnerships, and live audience experiences, we are realigning our weekend resources to support this growth,” Kutler wrote in a memo to employees.

She noted that Crooked Media on MS NOW, which started in February, was the network’s strongest launch for a taped series among total viewers in three years, and in the 25-54 demo in four years. The show features moments from Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Strict Scrutiny and Lovett or Leave It, among other podcasts. The network is expected to add additional taped hours and programs and content partnerships throughout the summer, in addition to podcasts from Chris Hayes and Nicolle Wallace.

The network will continue to be staffed during the weekend evening hours for breaking news coverage, while it has a partnership with Sky News for international simulcasts.

Kutler called Witt “a continued, trusted, and steady presence for our audiences. She has covered multiple presidential and midterm election cycles, countless historic international events, and major breaking news moments across the country.” Witt has anchored more hours for the network than any other anchor in the network’s history, she noted, citing breaking news events ranging from 9/11 to the Covid pandemic.

Variety first reported on the MS NOW changes.

Kutler said that the changes would impact “a small number of roles.” She wrote that the network has more than 40 open positions and more than a dozen roles would be posted soon.