In a bold and somewhat bewildering move, MSNBC has announced it will soon rebrand as MS NOW—short for My Source News Opinion World—marking a significant shift for the cable news giant as it prepares to spin off from its longtime parent, NBCUniversal. The change, unveiled on August 19, 2025, is set to take effect by the end of the year, though an exact date remains under wraps. For a network that’s built its reputation on continuity and familiar faces, this rebranding signals not just a new era in cable news, but also a broader trend roiling the television industry.
According to CNBC, the rebrand is part of a larger corporate shuffle by Comcast, which is spinning off several cable channels—including MSNBC, CNBC, E!, and USA Network—into a new company named Versant. The goal? To "accelerate the distinction between the MSNBC and NBC News organizations," as reported by CNBC. Versant, a name chosen to evoke versatility and expertise, will serve as the new umbrella for these channels, while NBCUniversal retains its iconic multicolored Peacock logo and the "NBC" suffix for its core brands.
The new MS NOW logo, a red, white, and blue design featuring a striped flag, replaces the familiar Peacock that has adorned MSNBC’s branding since its inception. Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough described the new look as "very sporty" during an on-air announcement, while MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler assured staff and viewers in an internal memo that "the future of our success is not tied to remaining within the NBC family and using the peacock as part of our identity." A significant national marketing campaign is planned to introduce the new brand to the public, Kutler added.
MSNBC’s roots stretch back to 1996, when it launched as a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC. Microsoft divested its stake in 2005, but the "MS" in the network’s name has lingered long after the tech giant’s departure. Now, ironically, the rebrand preserves only the "MS"—a detail that hasn’t gone unnoticed or unmocked. As Laurence Minsky, a business professor at Columbia College Chicago and author of "Global Brand Management," noted to the Chicago Tribune, "the MSNBC name goes back to the days when it was a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC, and that’s been long dissolved. I don’t know if MS NOW is the name I would have chosen, but it strikes me as an internal decision based on the fact that the cable network is being spun off into a new company that has nothing to do with NBC."
The decision to drop "NBC" from the name has sparked plenty of speculation about the network’s future editorial direction. Some observers, including Minsky, believe that distancing the cable channel from NBC News could be a strategic move to separate the network from its well-known left-leaning reputation. "It might be that NBCUniversal, and NBC as a TV network, doesn’t want to be associated with any political side," Minsky suggested.
MSNBC has worked to reassure its audience that, despite the change in name and logo, its core identity and editorial focus will remain intact. In a message to viewers posted online, the network stated, "For our viewers who have watched us for decades, it may be hard to imagine this network by any other name. We understand. But our promise to you remains as it always has. You know who we are, and what we do." President Rebecca Kutler echoed this sentiment, promising, "While our name will be changing, who we are and what we do will not."
Outside the network, reactions have ranged from bemusement to outright mockery. Gabriella Suliga, a political strategist in Milwaukee, quipped that the new logo "looks like something you’d scroll past in a pile of political campaign logos from 2004." Others, like Los Angeles news anchor Rob Archer, joked about the unfortunate resemblance to the chronic disease multiple sclerosis, asking, "Multiple sclerosis now. Is this some kind of new show?" Some conservatives have even offered their own tongue-in-cheek interpretations, dubbing the network "Most Surely No One Watching."
The rebrand also puts MSNBC in the company of other media outlets that have undergone confusing or controversial name changes in recent years. HBO’s journey from HBO Go to HBO Now, then HBO Max, and back again to HBO Max is a case in point. Paramount’s streaming service morphed from CBS All Access to Paramount+, with a dizzying array of sub-brands. These rapid-fire rebrands, as Wharton marketing professor Americus Reed told The New York Times, can sometimes signal uncertainty or a lack of strategy. "You’re signaling that you’re unsure about things, and you’re signaling that you don’t really have a strategy," Reed said, recalling the backlash faced by companies like Gap and the British investment firm abrdn after their own rebranding missteps.
Branding, as Minsky explained, is more than just a name or a logo—it’s a shortcut for consumers. "Branding matters because it’s a shortcut. We have two systems of thinking. One is reactive and intuitive and it takes very little energy. The other is more thoughtful and takes more time and energy. And what branding does is it takes products into the reactive and intuitive area, so when you hear a brand name, you know what it is, you know what it stands for, and you can respond." In the streaming era, however, the importance of platform branding has diminished as algorithms and content recommendations guide viewers from show to show, often without regard for the network or service providing it.
Some marketing experts remain skeptical about the effectiveness of the MS NOW rebrand. Allan Peters, a graphic designer and author on logo design, critiqued the new logo’s spacing, which he argued draws undue attention to the "MS" and exacerbates confusion. Others, like creative director Zachary Winterton, predicted that the network might need to tweak the branding again within six months if the public response doesn’t improve.
Despite the snark and skepticism, the network’s leadership remains upbeat. "This change gives us the freedom to chart our own path forward, and we’re excited about where it’s headed," MSNBC said in its statement. For the No. 2 most-watched cable channel, which is on the verge of turning 30, the rebrand is both a leap into independence and a test of whether decades of brand equity can survive a major identity overhaul.
Whether MS NOW will resonate with viewers or become another footnote in the long, complicated history of media rebranding remains to be seen. For now, the network is betting that its audience cares more about the news and opinions it delivers than the name on the screen.
