MSNBC changes its name to MS NOW, breaking away from NBC News

MSNBC will change its name to MS NOW later this year and drop the iconic peacock logo as Comcast spins off most cable channels into a new company, Versant. The shift separates the network’s brand from NBC News ahead of the spinoff’s completion. CNBC will keep its name but unveil a new logo, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Comcast approved a $7 billion cable spinoff in November; NBC, Bravo, and the Peacock streaming service remain with NBCUniversal, the Wall Street Journal said. MSNBC, launched in 1996, remains the No. 2-rated cable news network. Lazarus said the network will serve a progressive audience and focus on holding the political figures from both parties to account, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The network will be branded “My Source News Opinion World,” or MS NOW, staffers were told, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler said that this new branding underscores our mission: to serve as a destination for breaking news and best-in-class opinion journalism, all rooted in accurate and reported facts, according to CNN.

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NBCUniversal is keeping the peacock symbol, so Versant brands that use it will redesign their marks, including CNBC, the USA Network, and Golf Channel, CNBC reported. Sports on USA and Golf Channel will run under “USA Sports.” Digital units GolfNow and SportsEngine will also change logos, according to CNBC.

MS NOW is building an independent newsroom, hiring about 100 roles and already adding roughly 40 journalists while launching its first Washington, D.C., bureau, as reported by CNBC.