{"id":289353,"date":"2025-11-17T18:01:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T18:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/289353\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T18:01:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T18:01:08","slug":"a-major-cable-network-is-changing-its-name-after-almost-three-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/289353\/","title":{"rendered":"A Major Cable Network Is Changing Its Name After Almost Three Decades"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">MSNBC has been around for a long time. Broadcasting live for the first time in July 1996, the cable news channel and accompanying site launched as part of a joint venture between NBC and Microsoft. But as of November 15, the &#8220;NBC&#8221; portion of the networks&#8217; long-standing moniker will be no more. The new name: My Source for News, Opinion, and the World, or MS NOW.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That&#8217;s definitely a bit of a change, and it&#8217;s due to a parting of ways in the near future. Instead of living under the NBCUniversal umbrella, MSNBC is slated to become part of a new publicly traded company called Versant. This means the network will become a direct competitor to NBC, and, as one can guess, NBC doesn&#8217;t want it carrying its initials anymore. It also means that NBC will no longer be sharing news resources with MSNBC, as it has for nearly three decades.\u00a0In a memo to staff, <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2025\/tv\/news\/msnbc-switches-name-ms-now-november-15-1236561512\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:as reported in Variety;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">as reported in Variety<\/a>, Rebecca Kutler \u2014 the president of the network \u2014 said,\u00a0&#8220;We are facing it head-on, and our success in the months and years ahead will depend on our innovation and entrepreneurial approach.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/tech.yahoo.com\/streaming\/articles\/4-different-ways-stream-local-191700387.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:4 Different Ways To Stream Local TV Channels For Free;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">4 Different Ways To Stream Local TV Channels For Free<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Same Mission. New Name.<img alt=\"The MS NOW logo on a smartphone. The COMCAST logo on a laptop screen behind it.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/654874db6889ec7d7e850111fdfcdb30.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The MS NOW logo on a smartphone. The COMCAST logo on a laptop screen behind it. &#8211; PJ McDonnell\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As part of the changeover, MSNBC has already launched a marketing campaign to reassure devoted viewers and new audience members. The main tag: &#8220;Same Mission. New Name.&#8221; The network&#8217;s official statement on the rebranding also asserts that many of the same hosts and journalists will remain with the company.\u00a0Perhaps more importantly, MSNBC devotees won&#8217;t need to worry about a channel-number change. And as far as cable providers go, all the usual players are on board, including Verizon Fios, Xfinity\/Comcast, Spectrum\/Charter, Optimum\/Altice, DirecTV, Dish, Contour TV\/Cox, and others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Pay TV subscribers will also be able to download the MS NOW mobile app to stay updated on the go. The service will be available across most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/articles\/top-10-streaming-services-worth-140200432.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:major streaming platforms;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">major streaming platforms<\/a>, including Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, and Xumo, along with some <a href=\"https:\/\/tech.yahoo.com\/home-entertainment\/tvs\/articles\/12-major-smart-tv-brands-190200110.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:smart TV\u00a0brands;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">smart TV\u00a0brands<\/a>, including Samsung and Vizio, at launch. If you already use the current MSNBC app, it will automatically update to MS NOW on November 15.\u00a0You&#8217;ll also be able to stream MS NOW live through YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and Fubo. Plus, the existing MSNBC Daily email newsletter will be transitioned to one using the new name.<\/p>\n<p>A rebrand for the streaming era<img alt=\"The MS NOW logo on a smartphone screen.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/e4821e720c20af4c77db52add31656e5.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The MS NOW logo on a smartphone screen. &#8211; jackpress\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">MS NOW is framing the name change in optimistic terms, saying the rebrand &#8220;gives us the freedom to chart our own path forward, and we&#8217;re excited about where it&#8217;s headed.&#8221; Even so, there&#8217;s always a chance of confusing or losing viewers \u2014 something Warner Bros. Discovery learned when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgr.com\/tech\/hbo-max-doesnt-need-a-new-name\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:it rebranded HBO Max as &quot;Max&quot;;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">it rebranded HBO Max as &#8220;Max&#8221;<\/a>, only to later re-emphasize the HBO name.\u00a0Only time will tell how MS NOW will land as a refreshed news network that still hosts popular programs like Morning Joe, The Rachel Maddow Show, and The Weekend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The &#8220;NOW&#8221; branding also nods to the immediacy of modern news consumption \u2014 coverage that&#8217;s expected the moment it breaks, and across countless devices.\u00a0Whether you&#8217;re tuning in on a smart TV or browsing on your phone, MSNBC will continue past November 15 \u2014 just under a new title that both longtime and new viewers will have to adjust to. We&#8217;ll be keeping a close eye on the changeover as it unfolds over the next few months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Enjoyed this article? <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.bgr.com\/newsletter-syndicated\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Sign up to BGR&#039;s free newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Sign up to BGR&#8217;s free newsletter<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=bgr.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:add us as a preferred search source;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">add us as a preferred search source<\/a> for the latest in tech and entertainment, plus tips and advice you&#8217;ll actually use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgr.com\/2023494\/cable-network-msnbc-changing-name-ms-now\/?zsource=yahoo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:original article on BGR;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">original article on BGR<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MSNBC has been around for a long time. Broadcasting live for the first time in July 1996, the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289354,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[49,131068,48,75,43225,7817,348],"class_list":["post-289353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-ca","tag-cable-news-channel","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-msnbc","tag-nbc","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}