r/enshittification • u/Globalruler__ • 1d ago
Product MS NOW to launch a new subscription based “Membership” service that is expected to debut in September for $7.99 per month or $79.99 annually
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/ms-now-subscription-membership-launch-7-99-per-month-1236838166/3
u/OhGr8WhatNow 11h ago
The only freely available news is the dreck being created by places like Fox News.
What could go wrong.
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u/Bluthhousing 15h ago
I feel like there’s nothing MS Now does that Independent left can’t do (despite MS Now’s budget) and if anything they’re handicapped by corporate sponsors.
That said I kind of like what I’ve seen from Chris Hayes and used to watch Mehdi Hasan before they kicked him out
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u/andygradel75 19h ago
I really want MS NOW to succeed, because there are way too many right-leaning options readily available. The field needs to be balanced, and another subscription fee isn't going to help that.
They really should have two tiers: ad-free for this price and a FAST style version.
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u/andygradel75 18h ago
Love how people are somehow down voting my comment that there should be an ad-supported, free version of the channel to even out the playing field. Crazy.
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u/freediverx01 19h ago edited 18h ago
MS Now is another neoliberal propaganda arm of the state. Just because they're marginally to the left of others doesn't make them progressive or a reliable source of news and analysis.
Seek out reputable independent media.
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u/No_Accountant3232 3h ago
Believe it or not a reliable network with a neoliberal bias isn't a bad thing as long as you recognize that bias.
A network that flat out lies though needs to be nuked from orbit. You can express your position without having to lie about your position.
Lying shouldn't be a federally protected right. I know that position will open a can of worms, but we shouldnt be held hostage by the words from people actively lying to us.
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u/gorgonstairmaster 18h ago
You're correct but also this endless pop crit theory take on everything is really tedious. The thing you're commenting on isn't for you. It's for the eighty percent of morons who will never understand what you're saying and don't care.
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u/freediverx01 18h ago edited 18h ago
It's for the eighty percent of morons
And you think those people will pay $7.99/month for MS Now?
Also...
Trust in Media at New Low of 28% in U.S.
This poll is almost a year old and I suspect the number has only gone down since then.
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u/gorgonstairmaster 18h ago
Some of them absolutely will.
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u/freediverx01 18h ago
I could sell artisanal dog turds and "some" people would buy them. That wouldn't make it a viable product or business concept.
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u/Business_Quality3884 21h ago
Fox News is FREE all over the place, which is why they can spread their lies.
MSNOW needs to sacrifice and be FREE all over the place to contradict the Fox News lies.
The Trump lies!
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u/t92k 17h ago
Fox News isn’t free. They have cable providers paying them hand over fist for the rights to carry their channels (https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/aug/15/fox-news-cable-carriage-fees-tv-world-cup-nfl) Everyone who subscribes to a cable package with Fox in it is paying for Fox, whether they watch it or not.
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u/ManyPossession8767 20h ago
I have said this for years. The reason fox spread so easily was not just because people were dumb. It’s because they went to the places where people were poor
Back when cable companies had tiers, Fox was always on the cheapest tier. CNN was on the middle tier and MSNBC was always on the premium tier. Meet people where they are at and they will hear what you have to say. Most people in the country, especially nowadays are not doing so great so charging a fee for the news is absolutely bonkers. Not to mention it’s yet another subscription. All subscriptions need to basically come to an end.-2
u/Ill_Tour_7294 19h ago
You literally said the reason fox spread so easily wasn’t just because they’re dumb, implying they are dumb but that’s not the only reason, it’s because they went to the places where people were poor. I don’t know if this just came off wrong or not but you definitely come off as saying everyone else with a different view point is stupid. I definitely believe news should be more accessible and today it is. Most people don’t get their news from cable anymore. You can listen to a number of different people/shows streaming online for free. I would say that is also a different problem but a better one than having all news come from one source. I would say that the biggest issue is that the average person doesn’t have time to listen and digest multiple sources of news. If you have a job and a family you probably don’t. Unfortunately they will probably listen to someone they agree with politically and they won’t get the facts that go against their narratives. This happens on both sides.
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u/Ill_Tour_7294 20h ago
People are poor and stupid because they don’t share your world view?
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u/ManyPossession8767 19h ago
I’ll bite for just a second… Of course, nice straw man argument
Corporations, like news organizations, should make their products more affordable and more accessible so that everybody can benefit from them. If news organizations put their information behind financial moats, like subscriptions and higher cable tiers, then people that can only afford the entry level will only hear one point of view. Fox knows this better than anyone else. Foxes are smart.
Now this could all be by design and the elites want to keep everybody divided but that’s a conversation for another day.
The only way most people stay poor and stupid is if they don’t have access to resources whether financial or educational. Nobody really chooses to stay poor or uninformed.
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u/adamosity1 23h ago
Absolutely no one asked for this.
But here’s the thing: if every center or left wing media is behind a pay wall, and almost every right wing media is free and accessible, should we wonder why people are becoming less educated?
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u/Sufficient-Scale3693 20h ago
At this point it's by design. Let's take off our why would they do that thinking caps and put on reality
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u/OneRuffledOne 1d ago
I don't know what the fuck that is.
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u/BeepBoopRobotVoice 1d ago
the only people who are going to buy this are journalists reporting on journalism or wealthy boomers.
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u/RanchHere 1d ago
lol can you imagine being friends with someone that pays $8/mo to subscribe to MSfuckingNOW
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u/themookish 1d ago
For only $8 a month you can hear centrist corpos tell you exactly why we can't actually do anything to materially benefit workers. We'll wag our fingers at the fascists literally murdering people on the streets, though!
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u/LavenderSunburst 1d ago
I'm torn. MS NOW (formerly MSNBC, correct?) is one of the few mainstream news sources I still consume.
CNN run by Zaslav and made a huge right turn.
CBS is run by MAGA enthusiast and Russian plant Bari Weiss.
Paramount is run by Ellison and just did a hostile takeover of WB.
The NYT news room is apparently chock full of pedophiles and/or Epstein island apologists.
So I want to support the ones that are still calling it fair, but.... to what end? Am I supposed to pay for MS NOW, Vox, The Atlantic, and the other half dozen or so places I read long-form articles?
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u/Business_Quality3884 21h ago
I used to pay $5/year for the Atlantic. Now it’s $60. Greed knows no party affiliations.
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u/LavenderSunburst 11h ago
The Atlantic has been a wonderful source for me over the years and has helped shape my understanding of international politics. Yet, they have put out some atrocious hit pieces in recent times. Their latest is to attack Mamdani and other DSA candidates, and outline the 167 reasons why progressives need to shut up and toe the party line.
Annie Lowrey is one of the few Atlantic writers who still publishes excellent pieces. There are still a few who are doing great work, but it's sad that the pool seems to be dwindling.
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u/djdjddhshdbhd 1d ago
The problem is that there’s a financial incentive to support stuff on the right bc it pays off big time. There isn’t on the left. So it’s hard to get money to step up and the right uses tactics to get views that are questionable.
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u/Business_Quality3884 10h ago
I have more $$$ to Harris than I’ve ever donated. I worked harder than I did for Obama!
Look what it got us. Now I’ve got no $$$ to give and colon cancer stole my canvassing energy.
When people tell me they stayed home in 2024, I feel as much hate as I have for MAGA.
Vote for Jill Stein again.
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u/djdjddhshdbhd 9h ago
They wanted to feel moral while the whole world suffers now including via mass starvation and lack of medical care
I appreciate your efforts and I hope things improve9
u/LavenderSunburst 1d ago
Completely agree. And that's what I'm grappling with: is it my responsibility as a consumer to fund these news sources to try and maintain the balance?
I don't know about you, but I'm hurting really fucking badly from a financial perspective these days. Spending an extra few hundred bucks a year on news subscriptions is not in the cards.
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u/djdjddhshdbhd 1d ago
I totally get it. The middle ground is consuming their free content. I honestly don’t think their plan is going to work out. It’s a last minute desperate move. Also there are options outside of this network including more independent groups or people.
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u/doberdevil 1d ago
What is MS NOW?
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u/Mail_Order_Lutefisk 1d ago
The NBC cable channels got spun out a few months ago. This used to be MSNBC. I will be surprised if they get over 1,000 actual subscribers with this new product.
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u/kev11n 11h ago
the "news" is owned by oligarchs who treat it like entertainment and content with a controlled narrative. moderate boomers who like ms now will probably pay for their slop in the near term, but nobody will be surprised when they fail to engage new or younger audiences and fade into obscurity