By When things are going really bad, news organizations often try to pull of a “rebrand” to trick viewers into think they’re watching something ne, and it’s apparently reached that point at every liberal’s favorite TV channel. MSNBC, long a fixture of left-leaning cable commentary, is abandoning its iconic name and peacock logo in a rebranding that has already generated more ridicule than recognition. Executives confirmed the network will relaunch as My Source News Opinion World—abbreviated MS NOW—as part of a corporate spin-off from Comcast.
Forget the name change.
Just shut it down.MSNOW. pic.twitter.com/6WorjBDoC9
— Andrea Katherine (@AndreaKatSTL) August 18, 2025
The change, meant to reduce what NBCUniversal executives call “brand confusion,” highlights an awkward truth: while CNBC, another cable sibling, retains both the “NBC” name and its prestige, MSNBC has been told to drop its historic affiliation. Staff learned of the decision only days ago, according to The Wall Street Journal, despite earlier assurances from Versant chief Mark Lazarus that the MSNBC brand would survive intact. Lazarus later conceded NBCUniversal wanted to reserve its name for outlets it considers closer to hard news.
Staffers working at the channel learned the news on Monday, according to The Wall Street Journal. he shift is part of an effort to distance the network from its NBC heritage and establish its own identity ahead of the planned spinoff of the bulk of NBCUniversal’s cable networks later this year, including CNBC, USA, Oxygen and E!. MSNBC and some other channels that use the iconic peacock logo associated with NBCUniversal brands will also lose that imagery.
CNBC will keep its name, which originally stood for Consumer News and Business Channel, and is working on a new logo. The new names and brands will be rolled out later this year, ahead of the completion of the spinoff.
MSNBC’s rebrand is the latest in a series of name changes across media. Earlier this year, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max service said it would rebrand as HBO Max, returning to its roots. Publisher Dotdash Meredith recently rebranded as People Inc. And earlier this month, Roku announced a new streaming service dubbed “Howdy.”
In November, Comcast greenlighted a $7 billion spinoff of its NBCUniversal cable channels. NBC, Bravo and the Peacock streaming service are staying under the NBCUniversal umbrella. The new company will be known as Versant.
The optics have not been kind. Social media derided the new MS NOW logo as “a discount computer brand from 1998” and likened the name to “a medical condition.” The Hollywood Reporter’s Tony Maglio quipped, “ ‘MS NOW’ reads like a random Microsoft application I’d uninstall from my PC when storage space got tight,” while his colleague Erik Hayden noted CNBC’s privilege in keeping its NBC identity suggested it was viewed as “a safer, more durable brand.”
The decision to cling to the “MS” prefix—despite Microsoft’s severed ties dating back to 2012—has further baffled observers, noted The Washington Free Beacon. “The MS thing is so weird,” Maglio remarked, arguing the network had every opportunity to start fresh. Hayden was blunter: “This wasn’t a decision made from a position of strength.”
Inside the network, President Rebecca Kutler insisted staff unease gave way to “enthusiasm.” But the public launch of MS NOW has coincided with other setbacks. A high-profile live event, MSNBC Live ’25, scheduled for October in Manhattan, is struggling to sell tickets. One insider told gossip columnist Rob Shuter that executives expected seats to move “in hours,” but sales remain so anemic the network may “have to paper the house to avoid empty seats on camera.”
The rebrand underscores a larger identity crisis. MSNBC’s blend of progressive opinion and news analysis has long sat uneasily beside NBC News’ bid for objectivity.
Pro news media tip: The side that tells the truth never has to change its name. The side that lies does. https://t.co/3SwiPoA3BL
— David Marcus (@BlueBoxDave) August 18, 2025
One can only wonder if the new rebrand will allow the channel to double down on some of its most insane opinions, like attacking Major League Baseball, the country’s most diverse sport, as being racist.
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