MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW, Drops the NBC

MSNBC is ending its partnership with NBC News and will rebrand as MS NOW later this year. The new name stands for My Source for News, Opinion, and the World, reflecting the network’s focus on building a stronger, more personal connection with its audience. The move marks a fresh chapter as the channel looks to redefine its identity and direction independently.

MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler said the rebrand highlights the network’s goal to be a key source for timely news and fact-based opinion, according to an internal memo.

MSNBC began in 1996 as a partnership between Microsoft and NBC. Although Microsoft later sold its share, the name remained unchanged until now.

Comcast is spinning off most cable channels, including MSNBC, into a new company named Versant.The change is expected to take place later this year.

Versant CEO Mark Lazarus said NBCUniversal will keep the well-known peacock logo, meaning channels like CNBC and Golf Channel will update their branding to remove it.

Changing MSNBC’s name will help end years of brand confusion with NBC News. As MSNBC’s programming shifted left, while NBC News stayed neutral, the overlap caused challenges and sparked calls for a new direction.

During the Trump years, MSNBC’s outspoken views, such as Rachel Maddow’s “consolidating dictatorship” remark, stood in contrast to NBC News’ more neutral reporting, exposing clear editorial differences.

MSNBC is hiring aggressively, adding dozens of journalists to create a newsroom that can compete with NBC News and other media companies.

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At first, executives intended to keep the MSNBC name. But during the spinoff, NBCUniversal chose a new identity to help the network go independent and build its own news operation, Kutler said.