The brand MSNBC is going the way of the dodo bird and will be replaced by the end of the year.
Mediaite reported that the news network, launched in 1996 as a partnership between NBC and Microsoft, announced Monday that its new name is MS NOW, which stands for My Source News Opinion World.
NBCUniversal is spinning off the network, along with CNBC, under a new parent company called Versant.
“During this time of transition, NBCUniversal decided that our brands require a new, separate identity. This decision now allows us to set our own course and assert our independence as we continue to build our own modern newsgathering operation,” Mark Lazarus, the CEO of Versant, said in a memo to employees.
MSNBC is not only shedding NBC from its title, but also losing the peacock in its branding logo.
Conservative influencer Saagar Enjeti commented regarding the change, “Think about how many millions consultants got paid to come up with…….MS NOW w/ a Microsoft paint logo.”
Think about how many millions consultants got paid to come up with…….MS NOW w/ a Microsoft paint logo https://t.co/a4JAAo707m
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) August 18, 2025
Greg Price posted that MS NOW “sounds like a Microsoft product that’s been discontinued since 1996.”
Have you ever watched MSNBC?
Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann wrote, “MSNBC to change name to MS NOW no I’m not kidding,” adding, “They can change it to LES MS for all it matters they still screwed up what I built for them.”
They can change it to LES MS for all it matters they still screwed up what I built for them 🤦🏼♂️
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 18, 2025
And conservative podcast host Buck Sexton posted that President Donald Trump “killed off MSNBC. This alone should get him added to Mount Rushmore.”
Trump killed off MSNBC. This alone should get him added to Mount Rushmore. https://t.co/TzFtRynwFG
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) August 18, 2025
Trump likes to refer to the network as “MSDNC” for the Democratic National Committee.
As of the president’s second term, Fox News garners more viewers than MSNBC and CNN combined.
TV RATINGS: Fox News had more total viewers every hour than CNN and MSNBC combined on Tuesday, led by @TheFive, @greggutfeld, @JesseBWatters, @IngrahamAngle, @seanhannity, @BretBaier and @willcain pic.twitter.com/xtTtkZcbhP
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) August 17, 2025
NBC News, in an apparent move to appear more centrist, has been reducing the use of its NBC personalities on MSNBC.
“Some NBC News personalities, like Jacob Soboroff, Vaughn Hillyard, Brandy Zadrozny and Antonia Hylton, have joined MSNBC. The network has also hired Carol Leoning, Catherine Rampell and Jackie Alemany from the Washington Post, and Eugene Daniels from Politico,” according to the Associated Press.
Anti-Trump host Rachel Maddow argued on a recent episode of the podcast “Pivot” that the breakup will be good for the network, the Associated Press further noted.
“In this case, we can apply our own instincts, our own queries, our own priorities, to getting stuff that we need from reporters and correspondents,” Maddow said. “And so it’s gonna be better.”
“Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough also celebrated the change on-air Monday.
CHANGE IS IN THE AIR! 💯TRUMP EFFECT!
MSNBC rebranded itself as MS Now to distance itself from legacy media
Andrew Ross Sorkin: I like this because I think it actually does have the sort of end independence and actually gets away in some ways from even the idea of legacy… pic.twitter.com/Chh7es0RHL
— michelle selaty (@michelle_selaty) August 18, 2025
He called the new logo “very sporty.”
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