MSNBCMSNBC, one of the most recognizable cable news channels in North America, is changing its name to MS NOW – but why, and what do both names stand for anyway?
Originally launched in July 1996 off the back of a partnership between NBC and Universal, MSNBC is one of the most formidable news networks on US television, shifting its coverage across nearly three decades to capitalize on trends and edge beyond the competition.
It was the second-most-watched cable news network in the first quarter of 2025, averaging 593,000 viewers, putting it ahead of CNN (428,000) but still behind Fox News (1.9 million).
Now (or should that be NOW?), it’s undergoing a major change that’s been met with an immediate consensus: “What?”
Why MSNBC is becoming MS NOW
In short, MSNBC is changing its name to MS Now because NBCUniversal spun off several cable networks to a new publicly traded company called Versant, and the powers that be wanted its branding to reflect that change.
That means MSNBC won’t have the peacock logo typically associated with NBC – that’ll now solely reside with NBC News.
Mark Lazarus, CEO of Versant (which is controlled by Comcast shareholders), said the change represents “building our individual identity and vision for the future while laying a foundation for the continued growth and success of our businesses.”
“The peacock is synonymous with NBCUniversal, and it is a symbol they have decided to keep within the NBCU family,” he explained.
“This gives us the opportunity to charge our own path forward, create distinct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization following the spin.”
Don’t expect much to change in terms of editorial direction. “The same familiar and trusted hosts and journalists who make sense of what is happening in Washington, across the country, and around the world will still be here,” a press release reads, and MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler insisted that while its newsgathering will be separate from NBC News, “who we are and what we do will not [change].”
In even shorter terms, MSNBC is now being run by a different company, so Comcast didn’t want it to have NBC branding or iconography.
What does MSNBC stand for?
MSNBC is named after Microsoft and NBC, with “MS” representing Microsoft and “NBC” representing NBC.
As for NBC, it stands for National Broadcasting Company, so you could argue it means “Microsoft National Broadcasting Company”, but it was intended to be a portmanteau, rather than an abbreviation.
What does MS NOW stand for?
MS Now stands for My Source News Opinion World.
According to the network, “this name further underscores our mission: to serve as your destination for breaking news and thoughtful analysis and remain the home for the perspectives that you’ve relied on for nearly 30 years.”
Kutler also said that the MS NOW change will be the subject of a national marketing campaign “unlike anything we have done in recent memory.”
It hasn’t been embraced by people online, with one user joking: “MS NOW sounds like a short-lived Windows operating system from the early 2000s that needlessly redesigned too much and failed to be adopted by a critical mass of users.”
“We call it ‘MS-NOW-MAX,'” another joked with a picture of Mad Men’s Don Draper, referencing HBO Max changing its name to Max and back again.
“MSNBC changing its name to MS NOW is one of the worst branding disasters in media history. The logo looks like it belongs on a discount computer from 1998, not a serious news network. Absurd,” a third wrote.
In the meantime, check out our list of the best TV shows ever made and what’s dropping this year with our 2025 TV calendar.
