MSNBC will begin telecasting in 1080i High Definition on Monday, June 29. The announcement was made today at the Cable Show in Washington, D.C., by MSNBC President Phil Griffin.
"MSNBC is in the best competitive place its ever been, beating CNN in primetime last month and continuing incredible growth," said Griffin. "Broadcasting in HD is only going to help us build on the great success we've had so far this year, and will give viewers what they've been asking for, a full high definition broadcast of MSNBC."
For the first time ever, MSNBC beat CNN in weekday primetime for the month of March in both total viewers and Adults 25-54. MSNBC was also the number one cable news network among younger viewers, Adults 18-34, in primetime in March, and in the morning. In March, MSNBC also beat CNN at 8 p.m. among both total viewers and A25-54 with "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," at 9 p.m. in A25-54 with "The Rachel Maddow Show," and 6-9 a.m. in A25-54 with "Morning Joe" for the first time since August 2001.
Building on the NBC News HD infrastructure already in place, MSNBC launches 1080i High Definition utilizing two full HD capable control rooms, integrated HD graphics, and new HD commercial integration master control and distribution systems. Since October of 2007, MSNBC has been telecasting from two HD-ready studios.