• by Alex Weprin , March 22, 2018

NBC News is launching a new home page for NBCNews.com, the first step in what it says is a "broad redesign" of all of its digital properties, including MSNBC.com, today.com and its over-the-top video applications.

The new homepage launched in beta Thursday afternoon.

The redesign  emphasizes photos, video and other imagery, with layouts that can change with the news cycle to highlight one big story or a number of smaller ones. The site will also feature "channels," that group stories around news topics or other common themes like culture topics.

Another key driver of the redesign was advertising, with "high-impact, 'sticky' ads that are simultaneously more visible and more visually pleasing," the company says.

"Our new design provides a range of high impact and visually stunning ads that will allow our clients unique and innovative ways of reaching our audience," said Trevor Fellows, executive vice president of digital sales and partnerships for NBC News, in a statement.