MSNBC will be renamed as My Source News Opinion World – or MS NOW, for short – as it prepares to split from parent company NBCUniversal.
The new title was announced to staffers at the progressive opinion network Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported.
MS NOW will first appear on screens in its new stylized form later this year.
According to an internal memo shared by CEO Mark Lazarus and seen by Daily Mail, the change symbolizes the newly formed company’s dedication to ‘establishing our unique identity and vision for the future, while setting the stage for the ongoing development and prosperity of our enterprises.’
It will also see the peacock logo, long associated with NBCUniversal, be abandoned after C-suiters decided the logo would need to stay with NBC.
Lazarus, who leads the spin-off entity now known as Versant, assured employees that ‘although the name is evolving, the brand’s dedication to its audience will remain steadfast.’
Longtime MSNBC host Joy Reid was ousted from the network this year. Rachel Maddow seems poised to stay the network’s top star.
However, this shift is part of a wider programming revamp initiated by MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler, where Jen Psaki has recently taken over Rachel Maddow’s 9 p.m. slot.
Rachel Maddow, pictured, whose network MSNBC will soon be renamed MS NOW
MS NOW will first appear on screens in its new stylized form later this year. Its new, Peacock-less logo is seen here
Kutler had words for her workers as well, in a company-wide memo also obtained by Daily Mail.
This development suggested an intention to preserve the old MSNBC name while also giving insight into how ‘NOW’ became affiliated with the new title, similar to its integration in certain streaming projects.
Rebecca Kutler, who along with Lazarus made the decision to terminate Reid, explained, ‘This fresh branding highlights our mission: to be a hub for breaking news and top-tier opinion journalism, all anchored in well-researched and factual reporting.’
‘I understand that this announcement may raise questions, and I want to recognize that for many of you who have dedicated years or even decades to this place, it can be challenging to envision the network under a new name.’
‘This was not a decision that was made quickly or without significant debate,’ she continued.
‘Over the last eight months, we have worked to untether ourselves from NBC News and embrace our independence under Versant.
‘We’ve hired dozens of first-rate reporters and newsroom leaders and have been recruiting for nearly 100 roles across our new and nimble organization.
‘We continue to supercharge our non-linear products, achieving rapid success on YouTube, TikTok, audio, digital, live events, and more – all while aggressively developing a direct-to-consumer product.’
The new branding will debut as the network enters its 30th year, and as it continues to build up a newsgathering operation entirely independent of NBCU.
To do so, it has poached big names from the New York Times, CNN, and even NBC News itself, including key correspondent Jacob Soboroff. Other hires have included Carol Leonnig, Catherine Rampell and Jackie Alemany from the Washington Post, and Eugene Daniels from Politico.
MSNBC’s two top execs fired Joy Reid in February, reportedly after more than a year of pushback from its parent Comcast
New boss Rebecca Kutler and Versant CEO Mark Lazarus, the two execs who pulled the plug on Reid
The name change, however, was met with ridicule from many online, after Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough broke the news live, on-air.
‘This is not a joke. They really did this,’ remarked Yahoo Sports writer Kendall Baker on X.
‘New Name. Same Crazy,’ joked conservative journalist Christian Toto.
Another user claimed the new name – My Source News Opinion World – ‘sounds like someone yelling at [him] on Twitter.
‘Msbs has a better ring to it ngl,’ another sniped.
Lazarus, meanwhile, detailed more changes to other logos and brands in the cable-centered spinoff company’s portfolio as well.
He said sports programming from its USA Network and Golf Channel will be combined ‘under a new brand moniker’ being called USA Sports.
‘New logos for USA Sports and Golf Channel are well underway,’ he said.
CNBC, he revealed, ‘will retain its name and is working on a new logo.’
The finished product will ‘look back at its history and nod to the deep expertise of the network,’ he said.
The move was met with ridicule from many online, after Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough broke the news on-air Monday
‘Each of these changes will go into effect closer to our spin at the end of the year.’
Other assets in Versant’s largely linear arsenal include the GolfNow, SyFy, Oxygen, E! and SportsEngine.
MSNBC launched as an internet-focused venture between Microsoft and NBC in the mid-90s.
It has since established itself as an option for liberal audiences, with hosts like Scarborough, Nicolle Wallace, Lawrence O’Donnell, and Chris Hayes.
Execs are hoping the spinoff will transform what is widely viewed as a declining asset into the flagship of a growing startup, while also bringing in more money from other sources such as streaming.
‘We have the ability to transcend this linear cable box,’ Kutler – the leader of programming for the failed CNN+ – told Politico earlier this summer.
‘We have the ability to build things.’
And while Psaki appears to be part of those plans, she got off to rocky start last spring, losing roughly half the slot’s audience within weeks of stepping in for Maddow last May.
Maddow – who was reportedly handed a $5million paycut from Lazarus as one of his first moves as boss late last year – averaged 1.89million viewers throughout 2025 in the hours. Psaki, with her ‘Briefing Room’, is averaging barely one million.
Maddow, meanwhile, remains a ratings draw, but she has an audience is older and there have been rumblings of discontent inside MSNBC, Puck recently reported.
She is also making a reported $25million a year.
She currently hosts The Rachel Maddow Show on Mondays following a to five days a week for the first hundred days of Trump’s presidency.
She also serves as the network’s ‘special event’ co-anchor.
The Versant spin off is expected to take place between late 2025 and early 2026. AN exact date has not yet been announced.
