MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Corporate Spinoff from NBC Universal
MSNBC rebrands as MS NOW, forming new publicly traded company Versant, separating from NBC Universal. This aims for a distinct identity and independent news division.
Overview
MSNBC is undergoing a significant rebrand, changing its name to MS NOW, which stands for "My Source for News, Opinion, and the World," to establish a distinct identity.
This name change is part of a larger corporate divorce from Comcast's NBC Universal, leading to the formation of a new publicly traded company called Versant.
The rebrand includes dropping the iconic NBC peacock logo and unveiling a new identity to distance itself from NBC News and prevent brand confusion.
Mark Lazarus will lead the new Versant company as CEO, while MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler confirmed the carefully considered decision despite inherent risks.
The strategic move aims to create MSNBC's own separate news division, addressing underlying tensions between its news operations and its former liberal-leaning counterpart within NBC.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this story by emphasizing the significant, perhaps reactive, nature of MSNBC's rebrand and spinoff. They highlight the network's political identity and suggest the changes are a response to broader industry challenges and a need for greater independence, sometimes noting perceived inconsistencies in prior statements.
Sources (21)
Center (6)
FAQ
MS NOW stands for 'My Source for News, Opinion, and the World,' reflecting the channel's intent to convey a distinct point of view as it becomes independent from NBC News.
The rebrand and removal of the NBC peacock logo are part of Comcast's spin-off of MSNBC into Versant, a separate publicly traded company, to establish an independent news organization distinct from NBCUniversal and prevent brand confusion.
Mark Lazarus has been named CEO of the new publicly traded company Versant, which will include MS NOW after the spinoff from NBCUniversal.
MSNBC will build its own independent news division and newsgathering operations, separate from NBC News, including hiring dozens of new staff and some NBC News journalists moving to the cable operation.
Along with MSNBC, other cable networks like CNBC, Golf Channel, GolfNow, and SportsEngine are also being spun out into Versant and will drop the NBC peacock logo as part of the rebranding.
History
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