MSNBC rebrands itself, but remains an ongoing source of leftist public shame
In a significant move, MSNBC, the popular cable news network, is changing its name to MS NOW as part of Comcast's spinoff strategy. This rebranding marks a deliberate break from NBCUniversal and a bid to establish an independent editorial identity within the new corporate structure.
According to Ad Week, MSNBC, in primetime, averaged 821,000 total viewers. The network's new name, MS NOW, stands for My Source for News, Opinion, and the World. The name change is seen as an attempt to remove the association between MSNBC and NBC, which has been a corporate embarrassment for years.
The spinoff company, Versant, will include various NBCUniversal properties, but will not include the NBC peacock logo. The visual rebranding swaps the multicolored NBC peacock for bold red, white, and blue imagery, projecting a new tone and identity.
The rebrand seeks greater editorial autonomy and aims to carve out a distinct position in a crowded and fragmented media environment dominated increasingly by digital platforms. However, this shift comes with risks, as the MSNBC brand holds decades of recognition and trust, especially among older cable viewers. Critics warn that the new name, "MS NOW," could confuse viewers and lacks the strong brand equity of NBC.
The move reflects a larger industry trend where legacy cable networks attempt to reinvent themselves to stay relevant amid shifting consumption habits and competition from digital news sources like Facebook and TikTok. MS NOW hopes to grow beyond MSNBC’s traditional left-leaning, niche audience to compete more directly with broader news outlets such as Fox News.
Despite the changes, MS NOW vows to be exactly the same but to build a new brand. Notably, the network has reportedly been on a hiring spree of late. The new network's hosts, including Nicolle Wallace and Rachel Maddow, have continued to deliver their hard-hitting commentary, with Wallace cursing about President Donald Trump for trying to arrange a peace deal in Ukraine, and Maddow comparing Trump to a consolidating dictatorship.
The rebranding is not without controversy. For instance, MS NOW host Joe Scarborough made an embarrassing quote about President Biden, stating he is better than he's ever been, intellectually and analytically. Similarly, Ed Schultz, a former MSNBC host, claimed on "The Ed Show" that the Republicans want to see people dead and would rather make money off their dead corpses.
In summary, the rebranding from MSNBC to MS NOW is a key part of Comcast’s spinoff strategy to form Versant, aiming for editorial independence and a fresh market position, though it involves significant risks regarding audience loyalty and brand recognition. The media landscape continues to evolve, and MS NOW's new identity promises to be an exciting addition to the mix.
[1] The New York Times [2] Ad Week [3] Fox News
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