According to Business Insider, MSNBC is preparing to shed both its name and its Peacock, part of a sweeping shakeup by parent company Comcast NBCUniversal.
The cable network will soon be known as MS NOW — short for My Source News Opinion World — when NBCUniversal spins off its cable channels into a new company, Versant, later this year.
Mark Lazarus, tapped to lead Versant, announced Monday that MSNBC would trade its famous brand for a new one. Other Versant properties — CNBC, Golf Channel, GolfNow, SportsEngine — will also scrub their logos in the months ahead.
“As MS NOW continues to grow within Versant, it’s critical that it has its own distinct identity, entirely separate from the NBC News brand,” NBCUniversal COO Adam Miller said. “This will be especially important as NBC News and MS NOW cover the same events without the joint operations they have shared for years.”
The two networks have long shared staff, a marriage complicated by MSNBC’s leftward tilt and NBC’s insistence on straight news. The new name, executives argue, may finally ease that tension.
“This gives us the opportunity to chart our own path forward, create distinct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization,” Lazarus wrote in a memo.
MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler conceded the change would be hard for veterans of the network: “I know this announcement will be met with questions… For many of you who have spent years or decades here, it is hard to imagine the network by any other name. This was not a decision made quickly or without debate.”
Here’s Lazarus’ memo to staff explaining the changes:
Team,
From the moment we announced the creation of VERSANT, we knew it would mark the beginning of a new journey for us and our iconic brands. Together, we have been focused on building our individual identity and vision for the future while laying a foundation for the continued growth and success of our businesses.
To that end, a few of our brand designs will change in the coming months. As we all know, the peacock is synonymous with NBCUniversal, and it is a symbol they have decided to keep within the NBCU family. This gives us the opportunity to chart our own path forward, create distinct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization following the spin.
This means we will redesign our logos where the peacock has been incorporated into our brands. In addition to a new logo, MSNBC will debut a new name to accelerate the distinction between the MSNBC and NBC News organizations, while remaining true to our mission and our commitment to audiences.
Each of these changes will go into effect closer to our spin at the end of the year. More on each of these changes below:
MY SOURCE NEWS OPINION WORLD (MS NOW)
MSNBC will unveil a new name for the network: MS NOW, which stands for My Source for News, Opinion and the World. This new name underscores the brand’s mission to serve as the destination for domestic and international breaking news and the best-in-class opinion journalism. MSNBC has been building toward this moment and welcoming a wave of exceptional journalists to their newsgathering operation. Most importantly, while the name will be different, the brand’s commitment to its audience will not change.
CNBC
Since its inception in 1989, CNBC — originally known as the “Consumer News and Business Channel” — has distinguished itself as a trusted leader covering exclusively the global financial and business sectors. CNBC will retain its name and is working on a new logo, which will look back at its history and nod to the deep expertise of the network.
USA SPORTS
Sports programming on USA Network and Golf Channel will come together under a new brand moniker of USA Sports. New logos for USA Sports and Golf Channel are well underway. These new logos will aim to honor USA Network’s legacy in sports and entertainment as well as Golf Channel’s 30-plus year history as TV’s home for golf, all with a nod to the future. We look forward to unveiling those in the weeks to come.
ENTERTAINMENT
The brands within our entertainment portfolio will remain unchanged with each holding a unique place in the daily lives of audiences by delivering distinctive, genre-defining content that resonates deeply with viewers. Together, these networks play an essential role in shaping conversations and will continue to evolve alongside their audiences and remain a vital part of everyday life.
Additionally, SportsEngine, best known for its technology serving thousands of youth sports organizations and more, will also redesign its logo without the peacock.
Regardless of the iconography, each of our businesses will remain true to their charge. VERSANT is the house for our brands, each of which already succeeds on their own and will continue to do so by creating deeper connections with our audiences and identifying opportunities for growth.
Thank you for all you do and continue to do as we shape this bold new direction together.
Mark
Comcast-owned MSNBC, with its rabid anti-Trump lineup of anchors, drew an average 1.008 million primetime viewers from April to June, a year-over-year decline of 15%, Nielsen figures show.
MSNBC is changing its name and logo. Read the memo that breaks it all down. https://t.co/Kz875MiA4E
— Business Insider (@BusinessInsider) August 18, 2025
