NBC?s Today Show has redesigned its mobile application to focus more on customized content that keeps consumers coming back around the clock.

The morning program?s app revamp launches today and includes photos, articles and videos that tap into the different mindsets of news connoisseurs throughout the day. There is also a new split-screen option for viewing videos and reading articles simultaneously.

?We want consumers to have the most positive experience possible, no matter what platform they're using to connect with Today, so it was important to take our apps in-house to build a product that leverages the full multimedia report against the full capabilities of mobile devices,? said Jen Brown, vice president and executive editor at Today Digital, New York.

?We think we've achieved this by building an app that constantly feeds the audiences' appetite for uplifting news stories throughout the day and allowing them to multi-task while doing so with our unique multi-tasker mode,? she said.

Mobile morning
NBC cites its own research that finds mobile users as looking for continuous information throughout the day as the reason behind why the company revamped the Today Show app.

For example, understanding that consumers are looking for a piece of positive news first thing in the morning when they only have a few minutes to spare but are more interested in a different type of news at the end of the day when they have more time was key in the app?s development.  

The Today Show has also built the app so that consumers can multitask while catching up on the latest news.

A multi-tasker split-screen feature divides the screen with one section displaying articles and the other showing videos.

Additionally, the app has been revamped to make it easier for consumers to find and share content quickly.

For example, articles can be shared via Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Consumers can also save stories and images by touching the screen.

Additionally, consumers can choose from a checklist the type of news that they want to receive from categories such as lifestyle, entertainment and money.

During the launch phase, America?s Natural Gas Alliance will sponsor the app.

The Today Show app is available for iOS, Android and Windows 8 devices.

The new Today Show iPad app

Mobile mindset
NBC originally launched an app in 2009 as a way to mobilize its Web content (see story).

News networks are increasingly looking to mobile as a way to keep interacting with consumers while they are watching programming and while they are away from their television sets.

?We need to be where the audience is whether that's Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, desktop, mobile or TV,? Ms. Brown said.

?As the mobile audience continues to grow, we'll continue to push our product to meet the needs of our news consumers,? she said. ?Our brands are platform-agnostic.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York