Months after announcing it would be dropping the name MSNBC, the cable-news network has announced when it will officially rebrand. The network will begin going by MS Now, My Source for News Opinion World, starting Nov. 15, the company confirmed Monday.
The move comes as the network is split off from NBCUniversal and will become part of a new publicly traded company Versant. The network launched in 1996 as part of a partnership between Microsoft and NBC. After years of working together, MSNBC and NBC News will no longer combine resources.
Along with MSNBC, several other cable channels will also become part of Versant, including CNBC, Golf Channel, GolfNow, and SportsEngine. None of those networks are expected to change names or branding.
According to Variety, a memo sent to staff by Versant president Rebecca Kutler said the change comes “after months of meticulous planning and thoughtful collaboration across every corner of our organization. We are facing it head-on, and our success in the months and years ahead will depend on our innovation and entrepreneurial approach.”
In a teaser video announcing the name change, popular host Rachel Maddow says the network’s mission remains the same.
“A big change is coming to this network, not in the kinds of stories we tell or in our values or our commitment to the proud and the free and the brave,” Maddow says. “No, the big change, the only change, is our name. Same mission. New name.”
MSNBC has reported growth in recent months, averaging 1.2 million total viewers in weekday primetime and 573,000 total day viewers year-to-date. From January 2025 to August 2025, the network is averaging 88% more primetime viewers and 73% more total day viewers than during the first eight months of 2015.
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